TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Age Discrimination

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made towards implementing into domestic law the provisions of the EU Directive on age discrimination in employment; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: We are on course for legislation coming into force on 1 October 2006 to outlaw age discrimination in employment and vocational training under the European Employment Directive. Our Age Matters consultation last year sought views on options for the implementing legislation. We are reviewing the timetable for further consultation in the light of our clear commitment to give those with responsibilities and with rights as much time as possible to prepare, and to do so with regulations that are clear and effective. We shall announce the new timetable as soon as possible.

Business Support

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much has been allocated to support business in each of the last 10 years, broken down by (a) sector and (b) region.

Nigel Griffiths: Information on the allocation of business support is not readily available in aggregate at sectoral and regional level, and could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.

Employment Tribunals

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 23 June 2004, Official Report, column 1452W, on employment tribunals' reinstatement orders, if she will introduce legislation to ensure that employment tribunals have the power to require employers who are found to have reasonably not complied with reinstatement orders to pay compensation in default.

Gerry Sutcliffe: All employers who fail to comply with a reinstatement order, whether reasonably or otherwise, are required to pay compensation instead. If the failure to comply was unreasonable they are also required to pay an additional award.

Equal Opportunities

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures the Department has put in place to ensure the promotion of science, engineering and technology as a career to women in educational establishments; and what indicators are used to measure the success of these schemes.

Patricia Hewitt: The contract for the new Resource Centre for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) encompasses all SET occupations including careers in educational establishments. The Resource Centre contractors have established a dedicated HE Advisory Group and intend to work closely with the Athena project which has already done excellent work in identifying the barriers to women reaching senior positions in HE occupations and providing good practice advice to employers in this area. Over the first three years of the contract I would expect to see an encouraging upward trend in the number of women reaching the most senior positions. However, it is obviously important that my Department and that of Education and Skills work closely on this since there are issues about getting girls and women to study appropriate subjects at school and university in order that a critical mass in the HE work force can be achieved. We are working together on this through the 10 year framework for Science and Innovation. DfES has contributed £200,000 to the Resource Centre to support HEIs to put measures in place that aid retention and progression of female undergraduates on SET courses into the SET labour force, including: grants to assist HEIs in running mentoring schemes; placements in industry and research; focused tutor and peer support systems; and work with employers.

Export Credits Guarantee Department

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Gordon (Malcolm Bruce) of 15 June 2004, Official Report, column 817W, on the Export Credits Guarantee Department, what the value of unrecovered ECGD claims were relating to (a) the current financial year, (b) the previous financial year, (c) financial years 2000–01 to 2002–03 inclusive and (d) financial years prior to 2000–01, broken down by country; and if she will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 28 June 2004
	The following table lists ECGD's net unrecovered claims for each of the last five financial years on a market-by-market basis. These figures are calculated by subtracting claims paid from recoveries of debt that ECGD has made in each of the five years (i.e. a figure of one million represents the net amount received by ECGD after any claims paid; likewise, a figure of one million represents an overall debit, after any recoveries received). These claims and recoveries could be made in respect of a number of different guarantees and insurance policies issued by ECGD.
	The information provided in my previous answer to the hon. Member for Gordon (Malcolm Bruce) of 15 June concerned ECGD's total unrecovered claims, which include the substantial historical debts incurred prior to the Department's financial restructuring in 1991. As a result many of the figures given in the table involve recoveries on pre-1991 debt. The hon. Member will be aware that ECGD has made a return to the Exchequer in 12 of the last 13 years and has made a return overall in the years since the 1991 restructuring.
	Because the figures provided in this new answer are a snapshot of ECGD's cash flow at given times during the past five years only, they are of limited use for assessing total unrecovered claims, and do not take into account claims paid or recoveries received in other years over the lifetime of the loans.
	
		£
		
			 Country 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Algeria 3,433,121.54 4,886,535.77 6,515,506.12 8,366,610.42 5,752,247.78 
			 Angola 19,687.32 0.00 0.00 316,860.00 0.00 
			 Antigua and Barbuda 398,025.86 411,327.69 488,984.99 451,370.76 37,614.23 
			 Argentina 6,100,213.68 3,407,928.75 0.00 1,266.82 0.00 
			 Australia 490,298.17 -1,167,570.16 -3,481,091.86 -3,039,703.40 -846,695.15 
			 Bahrain 3,000.00 1,861.23 900.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Belgium 0.00 -1,634,019.33 -8,840,675.20 -10,882,807.52 -4,529,772.82 
			 Benin 0.00 8,530.07 0.00 1,569,484.38 0.00 
			 Bolivia 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.00 2,985.12 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Brazil 30,706,144.89 35,069,435.01 39,799,731.05 42,892,573.51 -66,337.68 
			 Bulgaria 2,065,999.26 3,627,991.58 2,065,999.27 0.00 0.00 
			 Burkina Faso 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Cameroon 428,496.49 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Canada 0.00 0.00 213.05 -21,564,574.16 2,050,102.00 
			 Central African Republic 2,621.74 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Chad 0.00 149,906.73 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Colombia — — — -811,924.10 -249,953.59 
			 Cote D'lvoire 117,408.10 -2,620,345.38 -2,717,176.97 263,617.76 56,740.75 
			 Croatia 3,698,531.92 4,555,427.50 4,949,511.10 5,523,037.56 0.00 
			 Cuba 0.00 25,384.14 49,176.01 473,150.14 0.00 
			 Cyprus 0.00 579.33 455.39 945.91 0.00 
			 Denmark 0.00 3,364.31 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Dominica 0.00 — -984,621.04 -222,576.26 -446,135.62 
			 Ecuador 0.00 549,370.09 544,650.10 1,062,342.78 866,073.41 
			 Egypt 18,792,541.50 1,565,056.71 2,806,406.82 3,476,362.49 0.00 
			 El Salvador 0.00 -1,249,950.55 1,126,316.30 0.00 0.00 
			 Ethiopia -512,801.40 -116,762.68 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 France 19,214.16 -174,683.90 3,222.87 2,951.06 0.00 
			 Gabon 4,597,316.12 3,351,217.08 0.00 0.00 371,150.96 
			 Germany 13,333.37 1,030.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Ghana -2,877,572.45 -32,717,960.31 -24,575,089.08 -19,774,152.60 -5,146,533.04 
			 Greece 29,911.50 0.00 0.00 14.60 0.00 
			 Grenada 753,685.29 675,000.00 679,665.00 675,000.00 225,000.00 
			 Guinea 24,850.44 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Guyana 0.00 0.00 0.00 2,051,772.71 0.00 
			 Hong Kong 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 India -657,320.59 -274,399.08 565,684.46 1,020,365.75 — 
			 Indonesia -224,872,255.77 -155,068,194.03 -125,794,471.20 -78,553,025.30 41,287.17 
			 Iran, Islamic Republic of 4,118,354.51 3,998,848.06 741,842.88 109,806.67 0.00 
			 Iraq 0.00 2,680,640.36 -434,809.35 449,822.98 23,537.30 
			 Ireland 0.00 0.00 0.00 387.84 0.00 
			 Italy 2,964.46 28,431.65 17,642.43 2,549.85 0.00 
			 Jamaica 188,624.37 544,805.72 282,247.82 386,047.90 0.00 
			 Jordan -1,919,501.66 12,139,852.03 -545,259.21 44,483,576.92 1,119.88 
			 Kenya -3,253,194.04 10,012,223.82 25,132.87 0.00 0.00 
			 Kuwait 10,730.70 449,414.91 592,717.74 511,777.23 131,363.56 
			 Lebanon 0.00 0.00 -776.02 -17.06 0.00 
			 Libyan Arab Jamahiriya 0.00 0.00 135.56 16,400,043.68 0.00 
			 Macedonia 58,275.16 95,017.17 380,181.71 362,478.65 1,944.65 
			 Madagascar 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Malawi 122,174.00 2,690,097.35 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Mali 0.00 11,762.19 1,255.73 0.00 0.00 
			 Mauritania 0.00 8,191.08 0.02 0.00 0.00 
			 Mexico 28,168,248.12 -1,288,553.56 23,873,649.29 66,721.94 0.00 
			 Morocco 4,592,332.05 6,562,444.85 6,939,462.86 7,351,327.77 0.00 
			 Mozambique 0.00 0.00 2,870,982.88 0.00 0.00 
			 Nigeria -3,674,456.45 -38,481.76 66,789,332.13 86,053,348.66 13,333,907.53 
			 Pakistan -911,344.93 -865,767.00 -3,212,818.23 -557,736.24 0.00 
			 Panama 813,026.78 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Paraguay 1,914,111.09 0.00 0.00 -5,939.89 0.00 
			 Peru 12,706,642.59 3,504,325.32 4,075,298.16 4,429,759.95 0.00 
			 Philippines — 11,566,230.84 2,294,000.35 2,166,217.37 0.00 
			 Poland 13,570,817.27 16,249,587.83 20,879,495.21 27,178,096.85 3,593,210.68 
			 Portugal 0.00 0.00 0.00 47,069.90 0.00 
			 Russian Federation -2,813,649.04 29,891.77 21,496,809.12 24,671,985.95 0.00 
			 Saudi Arabia 0.00 1,352.61 0.00 121,240.70 12,961.00 
			 Senegal 220.18 16,433.35 262.91 4,037.33 0.00 
			 Serbia Republic 0.00 0.00 12,877.24 12,877.24 0.00 
			 Seychelles 4,948.00 5,283.18 -192,382.00 -621,497.56 -157,476.47 
			 Sierra Leone 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Singapore 0.00 175.35 0.00 5,312.03 0.00 
			 Somalia 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Spain 31,415.16 0.00 0.00 0.00 -5,012.38 
			 Sri Lanka 0.00 0.00 0.00 -811.63 0.00 
			 Sudan 0.00 1,702.45 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Switzerland 0.00 -1,873,182.91 -10,820,408.82 -12,746,067.25 -2,288,028.44 
			 Taiwan, Province of China 1,510.32 1,440.00 537,991.94 0.00 0.00 
			 Taiwan 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.00 0.00 
			 Tanzania, United Republic of 0.00 3,417.23 4,852,576.21 5,270.00 0.00 
			 Thailand 1,344,533.07 776.56 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Trinidad and Tobago 590,752.74 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Thailand 0.00 0.00 -638,878.74 0.00 0.00 
			 Turkey 0.00 -354,684.49 1,663,414.43 -639,209.06 0.00 
			 Turkmenistan 0.00 -1,730,917.25 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Uganda 0.00 0.00 1.00 0.00 0.00 
			 United Arab Emirates 16,670.97 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 United Kingdom 4,819.69 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 United States 129,515.18 0.00 1.00 1,834.93 0.00 
			 USSR -2,708,564.92 -30.95 0,00 0.00 0.00 
			 Venezuela 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Viet Nam 18,345.37 37,837.33 60,769.07 87,140.53 0.00 
			 Venezuela 29,395.41 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Yemen 0.00 0.00 2,554,183.04 0.00 0.00 
			 Yugoslavia 0.00 15,395.74 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Zambia 148,663.02 1,403.65 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Zimbabwe -23,436,227.46 -23,851,576.75 -19,927,608.01 -16,163,551.56 -2,561,013.32 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. All amounts are in sterling.
	2. ECGD is unable to provide figures for years prior to 2000 at present.

Launch Investment

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to enhance Launch Investment for the aerospace industry.

Jacqui Smith: The Aerospace Innovation and Growth Team Report published in June of 2003 recommended that the Government should continue to consider applications for Launch Investment. The Government accepted that recommendation.

Launch Investment

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what Government support was provided to Launch Investment and its predecessor programme in each year since 1990.

Jacqui Smith: The figures provided in the following table are the published payments and receipts for Launch Investment for the years 1990–91 to 2002–03 inclusive.
	
		£ million
		
			 Financial year Payments Receipts 
		
		
			 1990–91 141.1 51.8 
			 1991–92 78.7 83.1 
			 1992–93 31.4 71.8 
			 1993–94 3.5 54.6 
			 1994–95 2 45.2 
			 1995–96 16.4 51.1 
			 1996–97 0.3 49.7 
			 1997–98 57.9 123.1 
			 1998–99 50 177 
			 1999–2000 66.4 201 
			 2000–01 52.6 147.8 
			 2001–02 188.7 142.5 
			 2002–03 258.2 108.2 
			 Total 947.2 1,306.9

Minimum Wage

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the percentage of the workforce earning at or within 10 per cent. above the minimum wage in each of the last five years.

Ruth Kelly: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Tim Loughton, dated 30 June 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question about the percentage of the workforce earning at or within 10 per cent. above the minimum wage in each of the last five years. (178355)
	The Office for National Statistics calculates estimates of the number of jobs (rather than the number of people) in the UK paid less than a range of 10 pence-per-hour thresholds ranging from £2.90 per hour to £7.00 per hour. These are measured in the Spring quarter of each year.
	We have no surveys that provide sufficiently reliable direct measures of the incomes or earnings of those being paid at rates close to the minimum wage. Consequently, these estimates have been derived, and they show more variability than the directly-measured statistics that the source surveys were designed to produce.
	Legislation covering minimum wage rates for UK employees over the age of 18 was introduced on 1 April 1999. Since 1999 the rates for both 18–21 year-olds and for those aged over 21 have been increased. The attached table shows, for the Spring quarter of each of the last five years and for each of these age groups:
	the minimum wage rate
	the wage threshold approximately 10% above the minimum wage.
	the percentage of jobs paid at the relevant minimum wage and up to the threshold approximately 10% above it
	A guide to measuring low pay and associated articles and data can be found on the National Statistics website at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StaBase/Product.asp?vlnk=5837&Pos= 1&ColRank=1&Rank=272
	
		Percentage of jobs with wages either equal to, or between 0 per cent. and 10 per cent.(1)greater than, the National Minimum Wage 
		
			  Ages 18–21 Age 22 and over 
			 Year(2) Minimum wage (£) Minimum wage plus approx. 10 per cent. (£) Percentage of jobs in this wage band(3) Minimum wage (£) Minimum wage plus approx. 10 per cent. (£) Percentage of jobs in this wage band(3) 
		
		
			 1999 3.00 3.30 8.3 3.60 4.00 6.5 
			 2000 3.00 3.30 4.7 3.60 4.00 5.5 
			 2001 3.20 3.50 3.3 3.70 4.10 5.4 
			 2002 3.50 3.90 6.8 4.10 4.50 6.7 
			 2003 3.60 4.00 5.2 4.20 4.60 5.5 
		
	
	(1) Approximate.
	(2) Figures relate to the spring quarter of each year.
	(3) Wage band encompasses the minimum wage rate and all wage rates between it and the threshold shown.

Petroleum Reserves

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with the International Energy Authority about proposals from the European Commission to increase strategic petroleum reserves to 120 days supply.

Stephen Timms: The Commission's proposal is part of a wider proposal dating from 2002. This has been opposed by EU member states and by the European Parliament because it threatens to undermine the global system for responding to disruption or threatened disruption of oil supplies managed by the International Energy Agency, and has not been formally discussed since May 2003. The IEA is aware of our opposition to the proposal.

RDA Staff

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her answer of 25 May 2004, Official Report, columns 1556–58W, what the cost was of the staff employed in press and public relations in each regional development agency in each of those years.

Jacqui Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the answer which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry provided to his earlier question on the same topic on 21 May 2004, Official Report, column 1273W.

Research and Development

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her answer of 8 June 2004, Official Report, column 382W, on research and development, for what reason the date for the next regional competition deadline for the grant for research and development has not yet been decided.

Nigel Griffiths: The effectiveness of the current competition in being assessed alongside the resource available before committing to any future competition dates. The business community will be informed of any future rounds at the earliest opportunity, to give the time needed by applicants and their advisors to prepare quality applications.

Royal Mail

Adrian Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the surcharge for the postage paid impression service was introduced by the Royal Mail; what criteria were used to decide on the percentage surcharge; what consultation with long-standing customers was carried out in advance, and what notification was given to long-standing customers.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 28 June 2004
	The pricing of universal postal services is a matter for Postcomm in consultation with Royal Mail and other interested parties, and I have asked Royal Mail's Chief Executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Small Businesses

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps the Government have taken to increase small businesses in the constituency of Coventry, South since 1997.

Nigel Griffiths: I have nothing to add to the answer I gave my hon. Friend on 29 June 2004, Official Report, column 198W.

South-West Regional Development Agency

Diana Organ: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what formal complaints about the South-West Regional Development Agency there have been in the last three years from (a) a sub-regional partner and (b) an organisation.

Jacqui Smith: There have been no formal complaints from sub-regional partners or organisations handled under the Agency's formal complaints procedure in the last three years.

TREASURY

China

Peter Pike: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much investment there has been by British businesses in the economy of China in the last three years for which figures are available.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. Peter Pike, dated 30 June 2004
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question about UK investment in China for the latest available three years. I am replying in his absence. (181524)
	The attached tables show the requested information for the years 2000–2002, the most recent three-year period for which estimates are available. Estimates are shown separately for China and Hong Kong.
	The results for the annual surveys into Foreign Direct Investment are published in the Business Monitor MA4 "Foreign Direct Investment", which is available on the National Statistics website.
	
		Total Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Flows and International Investment Position, UK to China, excluding Hong Kong, 2000–02 -- £ million
		
			  Net FDI Flows Net FDI International Investment Position(4) 
		
		
			 2000 410 1,505 
			 2001 662 2,106 
			 2002 643 3,359 
		
	
	Source:
	ONS Business Monitor MA4: Foreign Direct Investment 2002.
	
		Total Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Flows and International Investment Position, UK to Hong Kong, 2000–02 -- £ million
		
			  Net FDI Flows Net FDI International Investment Position(4) 
		
		
			 2000 -3,309 4,745 
			 2001 590 6,638 
			 2002 933 5,735 
		
	
	(4) The net International Investment Position figures showing the net stock outstanding, are not simply the cumulative total of all the flows up to the end of the relevant period. They also take into account goodwill write-offs, the revaluation of assets and exchange rate fluctuations.
	Source:
	ONS Business Monitor MA4: Foreign Direct Investment 2002.

Unemployment

Greg Pope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people are registered as long-term unemployed in Hyndburn; and how many were registered in 1997.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Greg Pope, dated 30 June 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about unemployment. (181301)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics of unemployment from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) following International Labour Organisation definitions. However, the LFS sample size is too small to give reliable estimates of unemployment in the Hyndburn Constituency.
	ONS also compiles statistics of those claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (ISA) for local areas including parliamentary constituencies.
	In May 2004, the latest date for which information is available, 66 people resident in the Hyndburn Constituency had been claiming Jobseeker's Allowance for over 12 months. The corresponding figure for May 1997 was 283.

Unemployment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were unemployed in each constituency in the UK, grouped by region, in (a) January 1990 and (b) April 1992.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Chris Ruane, dated 30 June 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about unemployment in each constituency in the UK, grouped by region, in (a) January 1990 and (b) April 1992. (180024)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics of unemployment from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) following International Labour Organisation definitions. However, the LFS sample size is too small to give reliable estimates of unemployment by Parliamentary Constituency.
	ONS also compiles statistics of those claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) for local areas including Parliamentary Constituencies.
	I am placing in the House of Commons Library, a table showing the number of JSA claimants in each Parliamentary Constituency in January 1990 and April 1992. The list of constituencies shown contains all those that existed during this period. Parliamentary boundary changes since April 1992 are not reflected in this list.

Administration Costs

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the administration costs per full-time equivalent employee of the core Treasury functions from 1998–99 to 2007–08.

Ruth Kelly: In common with other Departments, the Treasury reports time series for administration costs and staff numbers along with other financial information in the core tables of its departmental report which are available in the Library of the House.

Better Regulation

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answers of 17 June 2004, Official Report, column 1035W, on better regulation, what assessment he has made of the finding of the First Report on the Implementation of the Framework Action Plan: Updating and Simplifying the Community Acquis, COM (2003) 623, that the purpose of simplification is not to deregulate or cut back the acquis.

Ruth Kelly: The Commission state that the purpose of simplification is to reduce the costs of regulation while preserving overall policy objectives. This can include removal or revision of existing legislation.

Census Statistics

Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 21 April 2004, Official Report, columns 502–03W, on census statistics, what proportion of the population in the 1991 Census identified themselves as English in (a) England, (b) the UK and (c) each constituency.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Andrew Turner, dated 30 June 2004
	As National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking pursuant to the Chancellor of the Exchequer's answer of 21st April, Official Report, columns 502–3 W, on Census Statistics, what proportion of the population in the 1991 Census identified themselves as English in (a) England, (b) the UK and (c) each constituency. (179723)
	Whilst a question on ethnic group was included in a census for the first time in Great Britain in 1991, there was no separate code for those who wrote in "English" as was the case in 2001. Therefore, no figures are available for 1991 which are directly comparable to those contained in the answer cited above.
	However, figures on the number of people living in England who identified themselves as having been born in England were collected in both the 1991 and 2001 Censuses. The "Country of Birth" variable is not an indication of the nationality or ethnic origin of the respondent, merely a record of their place of birth. However, the figures have been collected in both censuses and are directly comparable. The number of people living in England who identified themselves as having been born in England was 42,003,349 in 1991 and 42,968,596 in 2001.
	Two tables have been compiled from published data to show the number of people living in each Parliamentary Constituency in England who identified themselves as having been born in England in the 1991 and 2001 Censuses. Both tables have been placed in the House of Commons Library. Table 04 PQ456—1991 Census : People Born in England has been extracted from the 1991 Census of Population—Small Area Statistics which can be accessed on the National Statistics website at www.nomisweb.co.uk. Table 04 PQ456—2001 Census : People Born in England has been extracted from Table KS05 on the CD supplement to the Census 2001 Report for Parliamentary Constituencies, which is available in the House of Commons Library.
	Figures for the 1991 Census are presented using Parliamentary Constituency boundaries from 1995. Figures for the 2001 Census are presented using the Parliamentary Constituency boundaries from the 2001 General Election.

Departmental Staff

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff were employed in the Department to work in the communications field and what the total expenditure on communications for the Department was, broken down by (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others, in (A) 1994–95, (B) 1996–97, (C) 1997–98 and (D) 2001–02.

Ruth Kelly: The number of staff employed by the Treasury to work on media communications has remained broadly constant at nine in each of the years mentioned, around seven of whom were GICS press officers, with one special adviser employed since 1997.
	The number of staff employed to work on Treasury publications, managing the Treasury's external website and related administration has remained broadly constant in each of the years at 12.
	For available figures on the costs of these staff, I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answers I gave to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 31 January 2003, Official Report, column 613W, and on 26 April 2004, Official Report, column 754W, and to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office to the hon. Member for Yeovil on 31 Jan 2003, Official Report, column 1051W.

Early Retirement

Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many employees in his Department took early retirement, and at what total cost, in the last financial year.

Ruth Kelly: 62 people took early retirement in the 2003–04 financial year from HM Customs and Excise, HM Treasury and Inland Revenue at a cost of £4,687,634. Departmental accounts have not yet been finalised and may therefore be subject to revision.
	Early departures were authorised under the categories set out in the Civil Service Management Code, including restructuring, in support of the Government's efficiency agenda.

EU Budget

Quentin Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total (a) gross and (b) net contribution made by the United Kingdom to the EU budget has been since accession in (i) current and (ii) constant prices.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested is set out in the table:
	
		£ billion
		
			  Current prices Constant prices 2003–04 
		
		
			 UK gross contribution, after abatement  (1973–74 to 2003–04) 122.7 181.6 
			 UK net contribution (1973–74 to 2003–04) 50.9 84.6 
		
	
	Sources:
	Current price figure taken from figures for individual years published by HM Treasury, rounded to one decimal place.
	Constant 2003–04 prices figures equals individual year figures converted using latest HM Treasury GDP Deflators.

Finance Bill

Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to implement the sections of the Finance Bill which allow company pension scheme members to draw a company pension while continuing to work for the same employer.

Ruth Kelly: The measures to enable flexible retirement by allowing people to continue to work while drawing their occupational pension from the same employer are part of the pensions tax simplification measures in the Finance Bill 2004. The measures will come into force, as stated in clause 270 of the Bill, on 6 April 2006.

Income Tax

Tim Boswell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of income tax paid in 2003–04 was settled in (a) sterling, (b) euros and (c) other foreign currencies.

Dawn Primarolo: Of the total gross receipt figure for income tax received in 2003–04 0.008 per cent. was settled in euros and 0.003 per cent. was settled in other foreign currencies (primarily US$).

Incomes Surveys

Michael Moore: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the sample size was for the (a) Survey of Personal Incomes and (b) New Earnings Survey for each year since 2001 in (i) Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale, (ii) the Scottish Borders region and (iii) Scotland.

Ruth Kelly: The available sample sizes are as follows:
	
		Survey of personal incomes
		
			 Tax year 2001–02 
		
		
			 (i) Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale 340 
			 (ii) the Scottish Borders region 540 
			 (iii) Scotland 22,425 
		
	
	
		New earnings survey
		
			 Survey date: April 2002 2003 
		
		
			 (i) Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale 154 189 
			 (ii) the Scottish Borders region 267 280 
			 (iii) Scotland 14,845 14,921

Insurance Mediation Directive

Anthony Steen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many respondents from industry declared their support for regulation of motor warranties in the public consultation for the Insurance Mediation Directive; and what rationale the Government used in (a) supporting the inclusion of motor warranties in the Directive and (b) supporting exclusions for (i) travel insurance sold as part of a package and (ii) extended warranties.

Ruth Kelly: holding answer 29 June 2004
	The Insurance Mediation Directive requires the UK to regulate extended warranties which are contracts of insurance costing more than 500 euros per annum. Extended warranties which are contracts of insurance and cost less than 500 euros are excluded, as are extended warranties which are not contracts of insurance. The Directive does not make specific reference to motor warranties.
	The Treasury received around 400 responses to its consultation, which closed on 31 January 2003, on regulating insurance mediation.
	Virtually all respondents agreed with the proposal that all motor warranties that are contracts of insurance should be subject to regulation by the FSA, including those costing less than 500 euros per annum.
	Policy implications of the Insurance Mediation Directive were highlighted in the Government's Explanatory Memorandum Number 11686/00—"Proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and Council on Insurance Mediation" issued on 30 October 2000. As noted in the Explanatory Memorandum, the Government's approach to the negotiations was to seek to ensure that the level of regulation proposed was proportionate and consistent with the goals of improving consumer protection and advancing the single market for financial services, keeping any consequent restructuring of the UK's regulatory regime to a minimum.

Job Vacancies

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many job vacancies in the UK have been unfilled in each quarter of the last three years as a result of a lack of skilled applicants.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Stephen O'Brien, dated 30 June 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many job vacancies in the UK have been unfilled in each quarter of the last three years as a result of a lack of skilled applicants. (181030)
	The following table shows the total average numbers of job vacancies for each quarter since April 2001. These estimates are taken from the Office for National Statistics Vacancy Survey, and are not seasonally adjusted. Information on the reasons for vacancies being unfilled, such as a lack of skilled applicants, is not available.
	
		Average total stock of job vacancies (not seasonally adjusted) United Kingdom, quarterly since April-June 2001 -- thousands
		
			 Quarter ending Number of vacancies 
		
		
			 2001  
			 June 672.3 
			 September 669.2 
			 December 593.9 
			   
			 2002  
			 March 582.3 
			 June 614.3 
			 September 620.0 
			 December 599.4 
			   
			 2003  
			 March 560.4 
			 June 582.9 
			 September 607.1 
			 December 607.9 
			 2004  
			 March 589.0

Population (Chorley)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on projected changes in the population in Chorley constituency in the next 10 years.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Lindsay Hoyle, dated 30 June 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question concerning the projected population of the Chorley constituency in the next 10 years. (180414)
	ONS does not publish sub-national population projections for parliamentary constituencies, but does currently publish projections at is local authority level. Chorley is an unusual case in that the Parliamentary Constituency currently has the same boundaries as the Chorley borough council area. The projected population for Chorley borough council area for the next 10 years is given in the table below.
	However, it should be noted that the last official long-term sub-national population projections were based on 1996 populations, and consequently do not take account of the 2001 Census and subsequent revisions to the mid year population estimates.
	
		Long-term population projections(5)
		
			 Chorley local authority, 2004–14 2 (Thousand) 
		
		
			 2004 97.7 
			 2005 97.8 
			 2006 97.9 
			 2007 97.9 
			 2008 98.0 
			 2009 98.0 
			 2010 98.0 
			 2011 98.1 
			 2012 98.1 
			 2013 98.2 
			 2014 98.2 
		
	
	(5) Projections based on 1996 populations
	(6) Mid-year projections for each year shown
	ONS are currently preparing 2002-based sub-national population projections and they are due to be published at the end of August 2004.

Retirement Age

David Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions his Department has had with the Department of Trade and Industry on the mandatory retirement age.

Ruth Kelly: The Department of Trade and Industry have consulted widely on implementation of the EU Employment Directive (EC/2000/78) within the UK. The Government are considering the results of the consultation. The Treasury is contributing to these discussions.

Seafarers

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the compatibility with the EU state aid provisions of EU member states that have reduced national insurance contributions paid by employers of seafarers; and whether his Department plans to introduce a similar scheme in the UK.

Dawn Primarolo: No assessment of other member states' schemes has been made. A reduced rate of national insurance contributions for employers of seafarers would not be consistent with the principle of universality on which the national insurance system operates.

Stamp Duty

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost of raising the stamp duty threshold on residential property from £60,000 to (a) £100,000, (b) £120,000 and (c) £150,000; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: The estimated cost of raising the £60,000 stamp duty threshold on residential property, in 2004–05, to each of the levels indicated in the question, is given in the following table. These estimates make no allowance for behavioural changes.
	
		
			 Raised £60,000 residential threshold to: Cost (£ million) 
		
		
			 £100,000 210 
			 £120,000 360 
			 £150,000 570

Stamp Duty

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost of abolishing residential property stamp duty for first time buyers.

Ruth Kelly: I regret that this information is not available.

Tax Credits

Paul Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest projections are of the cost of the child care credit in the next three years; and what estimate he has made of the change in costs arising from the changes to the arrangements announced by the Minister for Children on 17 May.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 28 June 2004
	I refer the hon. Member to my answer to the hon. Member for Mid-Dorset and North Poole (Mrs. Brooke) on 27 April 2004, Official Report, column 866W. No estimate of the cost of the changes announced by the Minister for Children on 17 May 2004 will be made until the consultation period has ended.

Tax Credits

Paul Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of families with equivalised income of less than 60 per cent. of median who will benefit from the extension of the child care tax credit to the provision of child care in the family home announced by the Minister for Children on 17 May.

Dawn Primarolo: No estimate of the number of families who could benefit from the proposed changes announced by the Minister for Children on 17 May 2004 will be made until the consultation period has ended.

Working Time Directive

Bill Tynan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many employees in his Department have (a) signed a formal opt out from and (b) are exempt from the Working Time Directive; and how many employees in his Department have recorded hours, including any accruing on a flexitime basis, in excess of the maximum allowed under the Working Time Directive in the last month for which figures are available.

Ruth Kelly: Currently 18 staff in the Treasury have signed voluntary agreements to disapply the 48 hour limit. No staff are exempt from the Working Time Directive. Comprehensive records are not available to show how many staff have worked in excess of 48 hours per week. The regulations require that the 48 hour limit is measured over a 17 week period but a flexibility introduced in 1999 removed the requirement for employers to keep records of the hours worked by staff who voluntarily agree to disapply the limit. The Treasury remains committed to reducing the amount of excess hours worked.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Bridleways

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has for new bridleways in Lancashire.

Alun Michael: The Government are funding the Countryside Agency's Discovering Lost Ways project to research forgotten rights of way; this will lead to the discovery of many more bridleways all over the country. The Countryside Stewardship Scheme can also help to provide new permissive bridleways, including on land classified as open countryside under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act. In addition, local highway authorities are preparing rights of way improvement plans, which should improve the network for equestrians in their areas. The Pennine Bridleway southern section opened in May extending the route from Lancashire into Derbyshire.

Canoeists (Access)

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will clarify the meaning of the research note by the Countryside Agency enclosed in a letter to the hon. Member for Totnes dated 21 May stating that voluntary agreements enabling canoeists to have greater access to inland waters will require motivated access champions to persuade landowners to get involved in the process and canoeists to support agreements along with whatever conditions are necessary to meet local circumstances.

Alun Michael: The Countryside Agency Research Note summarised the findings of a study into the feasibility of improving access to inland waters for canoeing by voluntary agreement. Case studies were conducted on four rivers in England and involved extensive negotiation with landowners as well as national and local stakeholders. The study concluded that, for voluntary access agreements to succeed, a champion or group of champions was required who would take the lead in drawing together all of the interest groups and oversee the negotiation process and any resulting agreement. Without a motivated champion, it was considered unlikely that any sort of agreement would be reached. The champion might be a user, a local landowner or possibly a project officer supported by national or local government. The study also concluded that a strategic framework should be developed to guide future investment and effort to extend access for canoeing.

Canoeists (Access)

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how much the Countryside Agency paid Brighton University to undertake a study into existing practices for canoeists using inland waters; and if she will make a statement on the feasibility of formal voluntary agreements to increase access to inland waters for canoeists;
	(2)  what the cost was of the feasibility study undertaken by the Countryside Agency into increasing access to inland waters for canoeists.

Alun Michael: The feasibility study on improving access for canoeing on inland waterways by voluntary agreement was awarded to Brighton University following competitive tender. The total value of the research was £100,000. This included an examination of existing practice in the four pilot areas selected for the study. The research concludes that the voluntary approach can be made to work in certain circumstances and recommends completing agreements in the four pilot areas. As a first step I am arranging for a cost-benefit analysis to be carried out.

Farm Subsidies

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of agricultural subsidy went to (a) dairy, (b) beef, (c) sheep, (d) mixed and (e) arable farming in (i) the North-West, (ii) Lancashire and (iii) England in the last year for which figures are available.

Alun Michael: The Rural Payments Agency's (RPA) payment systems do not separately record the type of agricultural concern. The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	However, the RPA is able to provide the following information relating to the number and value of claims paid to farmers in Lancashire, the North-West and England.
	
		
			 Area Number of claims Value (£) 
		
		
			 Lancashire 2,639 23,156,928.16 
			 North West 10,349 119,273,894.47 
			 England 89,264 1,344,500,373.94 
		
	
	The total value of claims paid under the various bovine, sheep and arable schemes for England is set out in the following table.
	
		£
		
			 Scheme Value 
		
		
			 Arable Area Payments 869,198,056.32 
			 Arable Agrimonetary Aid 175,466.06 
			 Beef Agrimonetary Aid 503,250.31 
			 Beef National Envelope 14,621,949.50 
			 Beef Special Premium 116,372,542.98 
			 Extensification 55,266,107.70 
			 Hill Farming Allowance 39,159,843.27 
			 Milk 263,043.48 
			 Sheep Annual Premium 104,874,363.13 
			 Suckler Cow Premium 77,209,138.58 
			 Sheep Agrimonetary Aid 7,899.06 
			 Slaughter Premium 66,848,713.55 
			 Total 1,344,500,373.94 
		
	
	All of the above figures relate to the European Agriculture Guidance and Guarantee Fund 2003 accounting year which ran from 16 October 2002 to 15 October 2003.

Glyphosate

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the decision by the Swedish authorities to prohibit the use of liquid and spray forms of glyphosate.

Alun Michael: Glyphosate was recently assessed by all member states as part of the on-going EC Review Programme for all existing active substances used in plant protection products. The Swedish decision was based on concerns about the contamination of ground water following use on hard surfaces. This concern was reflected in the result of the review which stipulated that member states must pay particular attention to the protection of ground water in vulnerable areas, especially with respect to non-crop uses.
	The UK is currently assessing applications for product approvals for glyphosate taking account of this condition.

Tenant Farmers

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of agricultural subsidy was paid to tenant farmers in the last year for which figures are available.

Alun Michael: The Rural Payments Agency's Integrated Administration and Control System does not separately record the status of applicants so the information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Traffic Regulation Orders

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many traffic regulation orders have been taken out on bridleways and other footpaths in the last three years.

Alun Michael: This information is not held centrally. I have asked officials to obtain information from local authorities on this issue but the information received is not easy to reduce to statistical analysis since traffic restricting orders can vary from application for very small stretches of a right of way to longer or more complex stretches.

TRANSPORT

Rail Strike

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures he will take to minimise the effects of the planned rail strike.

Tony McNulty: Following further discussions between Network Rail and the unions, the strikes on the national rail network planned for this week have been called off.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Home Buying and Selling Advisory Group

Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 17 June 2004, Official Report, column 1031W, on meetings of the Home Buying and Selling Advisory Group, what the (a) remit, (b) planned work load for the next two years, (c) total budget for 2004–05, (d) cost to his Department for 2004–05, (e) staff cost for 2004–05 and (f) administration costs for 2004–05 are for (i) the Home Buying and Selling Forum and (ii) the Central Stakeholder Group; and if he will make a statement.

Keith Hill: The Home Buying and Selling Forum is primarily a discussion group, which allows the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to update a wide range of stakeholders on the progress of home information packs and gain their views on the programme of work leading up to implementation. It is envisaged that this group will meet approximately every three months for two hours.
	The Central Stakeholder Group is a small group of key industry and consumer stakeholders who are tasked with advising the Programme Board and the Ministerial Task Group on the programme of work required for the successful implementation of home information packs. It is envisaged that this group will meet approximately every two months for two hours.
	Meetings of both groups are hosted by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister which take place in one of our buildings and the costs fall within our general administration and staff budget, there is no separate budget for these groups. We estimate that the total cost to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is approximately £1,000 per Home Buying and Selling Forum meeting and £720 per Central Stakeholder Group meeting, this includes staff and administration costs.
	This reorganisation of stakeholder involvement in the home buying and selling reform programme will help ensure that everything is in place for the smooth introduction of home information packs throughout England and Wales.

Housing

Robert Key: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the role is of the South West Regional Housing Authority in the provision of more affordable housing in Salisbury District.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Sustainable Communities Plan, published in February 2003, established Regional Housing Boards (RHBs) in each of the nine English regions. The Communities Plan set out that RHBs would ensure regional housing strategies are co-ordinated with economic and planning strategies, allowing sub-regional approaches to housing problems extending beyond individual local authority boundaries. Another key task for RHBs is the preparation of regional housing strategies as the basis for advice to Ministers on the strategic housing investment priorities in the region.
	Affordable housing is the South West Housing Body's number one priority. It announced on 24 March this year how £188.2 million will be invested over the next two years to deliver over 6,000 affordable homes. 20 per cent. of this programme will be used to support a range of Low Cost Home Ownership schemes, such as shared equity and Homebuy. The overall allocation for the South West of £95 million in financial year 2004–05 represents a 17 per cent. increase over 2003–04.
	For Salisbury district council in particular the South West Housing Body, through the Housing Corporation's Approved Development Programme, has allocated £2.1 million over the 2004–05 and 2005–06 financial years. This should deliver around 67 affordable homes in the district. Between 2000–01 and 2003–04 more than £4.9 million in Approved Development Programme funds have been allocated within Salisbury district delivering 170 affordable homes.
	It is the responsibility of Salisbury district council to ensure that the provision of affordable housing is made on the basis of robust local assessments of needs. A demonstrable lack of affordable housing to meet local needs is a material planning consideration, which should be taken into account in formulating development plan policies and in deciding planning applications involving housing. The Government have issued guidance on how to undertake local housing needs and market assessments.
	The Housing Corporation, who are also a member of each RHB and are responsible for investing public money in Housing Associations, have direct role in the provision of affordable housing and work closely with each individual local authority and their partner Housing Associations.

Housing

Martin Linton: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many new homes were built by or for registered social landlords in each London borough between April 2000 and April 2004.

Keith Hill: The Housing Corporation report the following new build by and for Registered Social Landlords in London local authorities for the period April 2000 to April 2004:
	
		
			  New build completions 
			 Local authority 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham 103 39 7 8 
			 Barnet 96 116 16 22 
			 Bexley 51 11 43 132 
			 Brent 311 278 78 68 
			 Bromley 113 48 32 243 
			 Camden 102 69 14 66 
			 Corporation of London 0 4 0 162 
			 Croydon 142 220 49 125 
			 Ealing 171 96 43 222 
			 Enfield 250 382 46 256 
			 Greenwich 176 224 102 586 
			 Hackney 255 204 150 482 
			 Hammersmith and  Fulham 179 34 15 488 
			 Haringey 137 181 54 349 
			 Harrow 97 50 27 111 
			 Havering 22 191 9 56 
			 Hillingdon 263 147 10 168 
			 Hounslow 54 164 7 327 
			 Islington 243 120 117 315 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 25 58 17 236 
			 Kingston upon Thames 117 34 7 55 
			 Lambeth 121 173 57 364 
			 Lewisham 186 192 131 303 
			 Merton 70 68 4 62 
			 Newham 134 191 122 304 
			 Redbridge 103 172 23 161 
			 Richmond upon Thames 49 28 6 109 
			 Southwark 259 213 112 340 
			 Sutton 219 142 38 145 
			 Tower Hamlets 152 280 63 336 
			 Waltham Forest 197 136 47 97 
			 Wandsworth 69 106 37 108 
			 Westminster 337 322 51 210 
		
	
	This includes reported new build by the private sector under section 106 agreements.

Housing

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total level of affordable housing stock was in (a) 1 January 1997 and (b) 1 January 2004.

Yvette Cooper: The following table sets out social housing stock for rent and social housing part-owned by Housing Associations under the Shared Ownership Scheme or the Leasehold Scheme for the Elderly:
	
		
			  1997 2003 
		
		
			 Local authority-owned social housing for rent(7) 3,401,000 2,457,000 
			 Housing Association-owned social housing for  rent(8) 1,073,000 1,738,000 
			 Social housing part-owned by Housing  Associations, part-owned by the occupiers(9) 81,000 88,000 
			 Total social housing stock 4,555,000 4,283,000 
		
	
	(7) Derived from the Department's annual Housing Investment Programme returns from local authorities—self-contained units plus bed spaces as at 1 April.
	(8) Derived from the Housing Corporation's annual Regulatory and Statistical Return (RSR)—self-contained units plus bed spaces as at 31 March. An addition has been made to the 2003 figures to reflect the late transfer (on 31 March 2003) of stock in North Hertfordshire and the Forest of Dean from local authority ownership to housing association ownership.
	(9) Also derived from the Housing Corporation's RSR. The figures are the total number of units part-owned by Housing Associations under the Shared Ownership Scheme or the Leasehold Scheme for the Elderly.
	In 1997 the Government inherited a £19 billion backlog of renovation and improvement work to local authority housing stock, caused by years of under-investment. Since then local authorities are estimated to have invested £14 billion in their existing stock, the majority of which has come from central Government funding. Another £9 billion has been invested in affordable housing. In total, housing capital investment has tripled since 1997, with approaching £10 billion being made available for all housing capital investment between 2004–06. However, there have also been significant increases in land prices and construction costs in a rising market that affect the levels of new affordable housing and refurbishment.

New Buildings (Regulations)

Bob Russell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what minimum depth is specified under Building Regulations for foundations of new buildings of (a) one storey and (b) two storeys.

Phil Hope: The current edition of Approved Document A, "Structure", advising on how to meet the requirements of the Building Regulations does not give any guidance on the minimum depth for foundations, but a revised document published on 29 June 2004 on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website does give some guidance on these. This will come into force on 1 December 2004.
	The guidance recommends that strip foundations to dwellings up to three storeys in height should be founded at a minimum depth of 450mm to avoid the action of frost on the ground, increasing to 750mm minimum in the case of clay soils. For such buildings the number of storeys will have little influence on the depth of foundation, but may affect their width. The guidance also recommends that consideration should also be taken of anticipated ground movement caused by the presence of nearby trees and vegetation on the stability of the building.

Regional Assemblies

Philip Hammond: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total cost to public funds is to date of surveying, assessing and analysing levels of support for and opposition to elected regional assemblies in the (a) North East, (b) North West and (c) Yorkshire and the Humber region.

Nick Raynsford: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has sponsored a module of questions within the British Social Attitudes (BSA) Survey in 2002 and 2003 at a cost of £15,000 and £16,800 respectively. The module has asked questions across England about public attitudes to regional issues, including: awareness of existing institutions, and perceptions of, and attitudes towards, regional devolution and regional assemblies. The results for 2002 were published in November 2003 but results for 2003 are not yet publicly available; they are scheduled to be published in November 2004 in accord with the usual BSA reporting timetable.

MINISTER FOR WOMEN

Gender Pay Gap

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Minister for Women what the difference in pay was between (a) full-time and (b) part-time male and female workers in each year since 1997 in (i) the UK and (ii) each region.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 28 June 2004
	The following table shows (a) the full-time hourly pay gap and (b) the part-time hourly pay gap (measured as the difference in hourly pay between women working part-time and men working full-time) in the United Kingdom since 1997:
	
		Percentage
		
			  Full-time pay gap Part-time pay gap 
			  Mean Median Mean 
		
		
			 1997 19.8 16.3 41.0 
			 1998 20.0 16.2 40.7 
			 1999 19.1 15.2 40.0 
			 2000 18.9 14.9 40.1 
			 2001 18.5 14.1 41.2 
			 2002 18.8 14.1 40.9 
			 2003 18.0 12.7 39.4 
		
	
	The following table shows the full-time mean hourly pay gap by region in since 1997:
	
		
			 Region 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 North East 17.1 19.3 17.0 15.1 15.9 15.4 12.7 
			 North West 20.1 21.4 20.6 20.4 17.6 17.3 15.9 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 17.3 17.4 16.3 16.1 14.3 14.2 14.3 
			 East Midlands 20.9 20.7 20.1 18.6 17.4 18.5 16.4 
			 West Midlands 20.1 21.4 20.3 19.2 19.8 17.2 16.5 
			 South West 21.0 19.6 19.0 19.0 19.5 17.1 17.9 
			 East 17.8 17.7 18.6 19.6 19.2 19.1 21.1 
			 London 23.4 23.3 22.7 22.7 22.8 24.2 23.5 
			 South East 21.6 22.6 21.6 21.7 21.9 23.1 20.2 
			 England 19.8 20.1 19.4 19.1 18.7 19.0 18.4 
			 Wales 17.4 16.3 14.0 13.4 12.1 13.4 12.5 
			 Scotland 19.8 21.3 18.9 19.4 16.8 18.6 15.6 
			 United Kingdom 19.8 20.0 19.1 18.9 18.5 18.8 18.0 
		
	
	The following table shows the part-time mean hourly pay gap by region since 1997:
	
		
			 Region 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2992 2003 
		
		
			 North East 39.1 38.2 37.7 35.7 35.7 35.7 32.4 
			 North West 38.7 38.0 37.1 34.9 38.4 37.9 35.5 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 38.2 37.8 35.9 35.3 35.1 35.2 34.8 
			 East Midlands 37.1 37.7 38.7 37.1 37.9 38.6 37.8 
			 West Midlands 38.9 39.5 39.0 38.1 39.1 37.7 36.1 
			 South West 39.7 37.5 36.9 36.0 38.3 35.7 34.9 
			 East 39.0 39.7 38.2 38.5 38.5 40.0 39.6 
			 London 45.7 45.1 45.2 48.1 50.9 48.8 46.3 
			 South East 40.8 41.8 41.1 42.2 42.3 42.8 41.2 
			 England 41.5 43.9 40.6 40.7 44.9 41.7 40.2 
			 Wales 36.4 37.8 34.4 35.7 33.0 33.9 32.7 
			 Scotland 39.6 38.0 37.2 36.2 36.0 37.1 36.8 
			 United Kingdom 41.0 40.7 40.0 40.1 41.2 40.9 39.4

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Access to Justice

Nick Harvey: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs in which (a) local authority areas, (b) Legal Services Commission bid zones and (c) Community Legal Service partnerships areas no firms have yet bid for Legal Services Commission contracts; and what plans he has for improving access to justice in civil law disputes for the socially excluded in such areas.

David Lammy: The Legal Service Commission's (LSC) framework for contract award evaluation is based on the needs and priorities for funding identified in Regional Legal Services Committee reports. Contracts have been let in all Community Legal Service Partnership areas and in 409 of 411 bid zones—the exceptions being two very small localities, (Rutland & Oadby and Wigston) both of which have contracted suppliers providing services within a reasonable travelling distance. The LSC Regional office is also currently investigating how supply in Rutland can be improved through suppliers from Leicester undertaking outreach work.
	Contracts do not cover all categories of law in each bid zone; the demand for services in many areas, particularly more rural or affluent areas, would not justify that. The lack of a contracted supplier offering legal services in any category of law in a bid zone, does not necessarily constitute unmet need or prevent access to justice as there may be other, more suitable ways of dealing with problems that arise such as outreach, telephone or website advice.

Community Legal Service

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many applications for public funding relating to environmental matters were submitted to the Community Legal Service in each year between 1997 to 2003; how many and what proportion were in receipt of public funding; and what the average proportion of total costs covered by the Funding Certificate was.

David Lammy: The Legal Services Commission is unable to answer the question. "Environmental matters" is not recognised as a specific category of law under which Funding Certificates are granted, therefore, there is no way of recording which cases seeking or receiving public funding involve environmental issues.
	However, a range of environmental cases are funded under the legal aid scheme, many of which receive public funding on public interest grounds.

Departmental Staff

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the total amount paid by his Department to employment agencies for the supply of temporary staff was in financial year 2003–04.

David Lammy: My Department has a national contract for the provision of agency workers.
	Information relating to workers employed through other agencies is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Information regarding the national contract for this financial year 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004 is provided in the table.
	My Department uses agency workers to meet short-term requirements and in areas where it is difficult to recruit and retain staff.
	
		Use of DCA national contract for provision of agency workers April 2003 to March 2004
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 Department for Constitutional Affairs and Associated Offices 1,326,000 
			 Court Service—including the Immigration Appellate Authority 3,923,000

Marriages

Andrew Selous: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what proportion of United Kingdom marriages took place in (a) registry offices and (b) churches and other places of worship in the last year for which data are available.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. Andrew Selous, dated 30 June 2004
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what proportion of marriages that took place in (a) register offices and (b) churches and other places of worship, in the UK in the last year for which data are available. I am replying in his absence. (181296)
	The numbers and proportions of marriages that took place in the United Kingdom in 2002 by manner of solemnisation are shown in the table below.
	
		
			  Number Percentage 
		
		
			 Civil ceremony marriages 182,098 62 
			 Religious ceremony marriages 109,727 38 
			
			 All marriages 291,825 100 
		
	
	In England and Wales, marriages conducted with a civil ceremony can be solemnised either in a register office or in an "Approved Premises".
	In Scotland religious marriages need not be solemnised in churches or other places of worship and during 2002 legislation came into effect that allowed civil marriages to be solemnised in approved places other than register offices.
	In Northern Ireland all civil marriages are celebrated in register offices, and all religious marriages are solemnised in churches, chapels and other buildings registered to perform marriages.
	It should also be noted that in each country a very small number of marriages are solemnised in prisons, hospitals and similar locations under special regulations, enabled by the Registrar General's Licence.
	For marriages in England and Wales in 2002, the (provisional) numbers and proportions are shown in the table below.
	
		
			  Number Percentage 
		
		
			 Civil ceremony marriages in:   
			 Register offices 106,950 42 
			 Approved premises 61,580 24 
			
			 All civil ceremony marriages 168,530 66 
			
			 Religious ceremony marriages 85,870 34 
			
			 All marriages 254,400 100

Pre-emptive Cost Orders

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs on how many occasions in each year since 1997 a pre-emptive cost order has been applied for and approved by (a) the High Court, (b) the Court of Appeal, (c) the House of Lords and (d) the Privy Council for (i) an environmental case and (ii) in total.

Christopher Leslie: The information requested is not collected centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Rights and Duties

John Gummer: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what relative weighting is given to (a) the duties of Her Majesty's subjects and (b) the rights of Her Majesty's subjects is in deciding on departmental priorities.

David Lammy: My Department determines its priorities in the context of all its responsibilities in accordance with the Government's policies and priorities.

Rights and Duties

John Gummer: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs to which rights his departmental strapline refers.

David Lammy: The term "rights" in My Department's strapline is intended to reflect the Department's responsibility for various pieces of legislation, including the Human Rights Act and the Freedom of Information Act, as well as our responsibility to ensure access to justice for all.

Rights and Duties

John Gummer: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs who (a) proposed and (b) authorised the Department's strapline.

David Lammy: The Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs and Lord Chancellor proposed the Department's strapline and following consultation with officials gave his authorisation.

Rights and Duties

John Gummer: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs for what reason his Department's strapline makes no reference to a subject's obligations.

David Lammy: My Department's strapline is intended to be a brief description of the Department's responsibilities that is easy to understand. It is not intended to be comprehensive and should not be seen as such. However, "rights" includes the rights of other individuals and of the community. It is not possible to secure full enjoyment of our fundamental rights without the development of a culture of respect for them and this necessarily entails obligations.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Education Maintenance Allowances

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many extra people in Weston-super-Mare he expects to stay in education as a result of the introduction of education maintenance allowances; and what plans he has to provide extra funding to further education colleges in the town in order to support these extra students.

Ivan Lewis: We estimate there will be about 2,800 extra 16-year-olds in the South-West Region in further education this September who would not be participating without EMA. We are unable to provide forecasts of the number of EMA students down to constituency level.
	The Department allocates funds to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) for the provision of education and training in the post-16 learning and skills sector. Assumed funding for further education allocated to the LSC was £4,732 million in 2003–04; is £5,174 million in 2004–05; and is £5,579 million in 2005–06.
	The funding for 2003–04 represents a £390 million increase over 2002–03. This is followed by further increases of £442 million in 2004–05; and £405 million in 2005–06.
	The Department does not provide a specific budget to the LSC for individual colleges. It is for the Learning and Skills Council to determine for itself the right level of investment in institutions from the funds allocated to it for learning participation.
	Ministers have agreed to make available additional funds towards the implementation costs of the EMA Scheme. A payment of £70 per EMA student will be awarded to all schools and colleges with 10 or more EMA students as a contribution towards implementation and on-going administration costs for the first year of the scheme.

Local Education Authority Costs

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the (a) management, (b) administration and (c) overhead cost per pupil for each local education authority in England.

David Miliband: The information requested has been placed in the House Libraries.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Prostitution

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research his Department has (a) conducted and (b) commissioned on the factors which influence the demand for prostitution in the UK.

Caroline Flint: None directly.

ASBOs

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many anti-social behaviour orders have been issued in the constituency of Tamworth.

Hazel Blears: Anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs) have been available to the courts since 1 April 1999. From commencement, up to 31 December 2003 (latest available), the Home Office has been notified of two ASBOs issued within Tamworth borough council area and one within Lichfield district council area (parts of which make up the Tamworth constituency).

ASBOs

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the registered social landlords who have implemented anti-social behaviour orders; and how many anti-social behaviour orders each has issued.

Hazel Blears: The Police Reform Act (December 2002) empowered registered social landlords to apply for Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) directly. Data are collected on the type of applicant only on those orders issued in the magistrates' court, acting in its civil capacity, and within the county courts. Orders can also be made following conviction of an offence in the criminal courts—here is no applicant for these orders.
	From 1 December 2002 up to 31 December 2003 (latest available), registered social landlords, as notified to the Home Office, had successfully applied for 21 ASBOs. None were refused in this period. A breakdown by individual landlord is given in the table.
	
		Registered social landlords, who successfully applied for anti-social behaviour orders, as notified to the home office, by the number of applications up to 31 December 2003
		
			 MCC area Registered social landlord Number of ASBOs applied for and issued 
		
		
			 Cheshire Weaver Vale Housing Trust Ltd. (Vale Royal) 1 
			 GLMCA Beaver Housing Society (Croydon) 2 
			 Greater Manchester Irwell Valley Housing Association Ltd. (Manchester) 7 
			 Lancashire Burnley and Padham Community Housing Ltd. (Burnley) 1 
			 Merseyside Leasowe Community Homes (Birkenhead) 1 
			 West Midlands Bromford Housing Group (Sandwell) 1 
			 West Yorkshire Aire Wharfe Community Housing Trust (Bradford) 1 
			 Wiltshire Shaftesbury Housing Association (Salisbury) 1 
			 Total  21

Asian Gangs

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the new unit established by the Metropolitan Police to deal with gang crime in the Asian community.

Hazel Blears: The Metropolitan police plans to set up a specialist unit to target the growing problem of serious crime within the South Asian community in London. The new police unit will be modelled on Operation Trident—the team that has had considerable success in tackling black-on-black gun crime in the capital.
	The Metropolitan police have considerable experience of working in partnership with the community and I welcome this development which will build on that approach.

Asylum/Immigration

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the latest average time is for an asylum application to be processed.

Des Browne: The latest published statistics show that the speed of processing asylum applications continues to improve. 80 per cent. of substantive applications (excluding withdrawals and 3rd country cases 1 ) received in the period April to December 2003 had initial decisions reached and served within two months, compared with 74 per cent. of applications in 2002–03, and 61 per cent. of applications in 2001–02. This exceeded the Government's targets of 65 per cent. for 2002–03 and 60 per cent. for 2001–02, and we are on track to exceed the target of 75 per cent. for 2003–04.
	Information on the timeliness of initial decisions for new substantive applications is published quarterly on the Home Office website at: http://www.homeoffice. gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html
	1 Cases which may be the responsibility of other EU member states under the Dublin Convention.

Correspondence

Keith Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter of 20th February, from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Withington, on behalf of his constituent Leah Johanna de Quattro and the Unicom Grocery Workers Cooperative.

Des Browne: holding answer 28 June 2004
	The Immigration and Nationality Directorate wrote to my right hon. Friend on 28 June.

Crime Reduction

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will request interim statements from projects funded under the Crime Reduction Programme concerned with the effectiveness of support measures for victims of domestic violence in time for the findings of these projects to be considered during the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Bill (a) committee and (b) report and third reading stages.

Hazel Blears: The findings from the first round projects in the Crime Reduction Violence Against Women Initiatives are due to be published in the autumn as an overview research report. A series of concise practitioner focused guides which aim to highlight good practice are also planned to be published during the second half of 2004. The first of these guides called 'Safety and Justice: sharing personal information in the context of domestic violence—an overview' was published on 28 April 2004. Unfortunately it is not possible to publish findings to an earlier timetable.

Crime Statistics

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the crime levels were for each category of crime in (a) May 1993 and (b) May 1997.

Hazel Blears: The British Crime Survey (BCS) is a Home Office face-to-face interview survey with a large representative sample of men and women aged 16 or over living in private households in England and Wales. Each respondent provides information on their experiences of crime in the 12 months prior to their interview. For the offences that it covers, the BCS gives a more complete estimate of crime in England and Wales than police-recorded crime since it covers both unreported and unrecorded crime.
	The following table shows results from the 1994 BCS (covering crime in 1993) and the 1998 BCS (covering crime in 1997) for the categories of burglary, all vehicle thefts, all BCS violence and all BCS crime. Further crime categories can be found in Table 3.01 of HOSB 07/03 and Table A2.1 of HOSB 18/01.
	
		Number of BCS incidents of crime, 1993 and 1997 (in thousands)
		
			  1993 1997 
		
		
			 Burglary 1,772 1,621 
			 All vehicle thefts 4,338 3,511 
			 All BCS violence 3,601 3,675 
			 All BCS crime 18,485 16,711 
		
	
	1. All BCS violence includes common assault, wounding, robbery and snatch theft.
	2. Figures may differ from those previously published due to revisions in population and number of household estimates.
	Source:
	1994 and 1998 BCS.

Crime/Policing (Lancashire)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many CCTVs operate in Chorley; and if he will make a statement on their effect in the fight against crime in Chorley.

Hazel Blears: There are currently 34 CCTV cameras operating within the Chorley borough council area which mainly focus on the town centre and car parks. There are a further nine cameras due to be operational by the end of June 2004. The borough also has one mobile CCTV vehicle, which is deployed to problem areas as and when needed.
	Chorley has an effective Community Safety Partnership, with committed partners, which has achieved significant successes. They currently have the lowest burglary rate for 10 years and vehicle crime has dropped by 12 per cent. over the last year.

Crime/Policing (Lancashire)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on Lancashire's Neighbourhood Watch and its future.

Hazel Blears: The Lancashire Neighbourhood Watch Association (LNWA) is an excellent organisation which deserves much credit for its co-ordination of Neighbourhood Watch schemes in the county and its good working relationship with Lancashire Constabulary.
	LNWA's plans for the future include increasing Neighbourhood Watch representation at district level. They are also creating a website due to be launched later in the year, which will improve communication between community beat managers and Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinators.
	I am very appreciative of the successful partnership working and active citizenship that is demonstrated by the members of LNWA.
	The Home Office will shortly be consulting with the LNWA, among other local and regional Neighbourhood Watch representatives, about the future development of Neighbourhood Watch generally.

Crime/Policing (Lancashire)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on Neighbourhood Watch in Chorley; and how many Neighbourhood Watch schemes there are in Chorley.

Hazel Blears: Lancashire Constabulary have on record 280 Watch schemes, run by 209 registered co-ordinators which cover 9,554 properties in Chorley.
	The range of community safety schemes in Chorley is impressive. It includes a Good Citizenship Football tournament for young people, Help the Aged 24-hour response system and the Tatton Community Project. This demonstrates that Chorley and District Neighbourhood Watch Association (CADNWA) is at the forefront of taking forward innovative ways to reduce crime and promote active citizenship.
	I particularly commend CADNWA's partnership with the British Transport Police in setting up Watch schemes for railway stations in the area. These are the first of their kind in the country and provide a model that could be successfully replicated elsewhere.

Neighbourhood Watch

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had with the Lancashire Neighbourhood Watch Association about the future of the Association.

Hazel Blears: I responded on 15 June 2004 to my hon. Friend's letter of 19 May on behalf of the chairman of the Lancashire Neighbourhood Watch Association (LNWA).
	In terms of the future, the Home Office intends to consult with the LNWA, as well as other local and regional representatives of the Neighbourhood Watch movement, in the coming months about the potential development of Neighbourhood Watch.

Neighbourhood Watch

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the (a) National Neighbourhood Watch Association and (b) (i) county and (ii) local associations are to continue to be permitted to use the Neighbourhood Watch logo.

Hazel Blears: The Neighbourhood Watch logo is Crown Copyright. It has always been Home Office policy that the logo ought to be widely available to be used for legitimate purposes which are in the interest of community safety.
	We have treated any request to use that logo, whether from the National Neighbourhood Watch Association (NNWA) or from other Neighbourhood Watch organisations, with this policy in mind. Unfortunately, the situation has been complicated by the fact that the NNWA has registered the various Neighbourhood Watch logos as its own trade marks.
	The Home Office is seeking to regain ownership and control of the Neighbourhood Watch logo so that all legitimate organisations can continue to use it as before.

Police Standards Unit

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff are employed at the Police Standards Unit.

Hazel Blears: The Police Standards Unit currently employs 82.2 full-time equivalent members of staff.

Racism

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when his Department discussed proposed changes to policy on the creation of a National Action Plan against Racism with the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: The Government have recently published their consultation document, Strength in Diversity, seeking views on their plans for a strategy on community cohesion and race equality. The Government will review the need for a national action plan against racism once that strategy is launched. The Home Office has been in regular contact with the Office for the First Minister and Deputy First Minister on the development of the strategy.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Amateur Sports Clubs

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps the Department takes to inform amateur sports clubs of the tax breaks available to them.

Richard Caborn: I recently visited a cricket club that has registered as a Community Amateur Sports Club, in order to raise awareness of the generous tax breaks that this scheme gives to sports clubs that make their facilities available to the community. DCMS officials are working on other initiatives to publicise the CASC scheme, including a leafleting campaign that will target sports clubs eligible to register as CASCs.

Amateur Sports Clubs

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the number of amateur sport clubs which are not taking advantage of (a) tax benefits and (b) gift aid; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: The Department estimates that as many as 40,000 amateur sports clubs could qualify for registration as Community Amateur Sports Clubs, and for the tax benefits, including gift aid relief on donations from individuals, that this status confers.
	Although the number of clubs that have registered with the scheme stands at just over 1,500, I am encouraged that the rate of take-up is accelerating rapidly as more clubs become aware of the generous package of benefits that they are missing out on. The total of registrations has more than doubled since the end of February 2004.

CABE

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment has been made of (a) connection between the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) and Stanhope plc, (b) the scope for conflict of interest between CABE commissioners and their outside commercial interests and (c) links between property development companies and CABE commissioners.

Richard Caborn: These matters were examined in the report of the independent audit published on 17 June, Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, audit of conflicts of interest, June 2004, HC 678. Copies of the report were placed in the Libraries of both Houses, and it is available from the Department's website, www.culture.gov.uk.

Civil Service Relocation

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many civil servants and what percentage of the total civil service work force in her Department will be relocated over the next five years (a) outside the M25, (b) to the West Midlands and (c) to Staffordshire.

Richard Caborn: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 22 June 2004, Official Report, columns 129293W.

Greek Culture Minister

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she next expects to meet the Greek Culture Minister; and what matters have been placed on the draft agenda.

Estelle Morris: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State hopes that a meeting with the Greek Culture Minister will be arranged when she is in Athens from 10 to 15 August. No meeting has been confirmed as yet, and there is not yet a draft agenda.

Greek Culture Minister

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will discuss the inter-country loaning of museum assets with the Greek Culture Minister.

Estelle Morris: There has been no approach from the current Greek Culture Minister requesting such a discussion. With regard to the loan policies of our museums, both national and regional, these are of course a matter for those museums, subject to the relevant legislation.

World Heritage Sites

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the world heritage sites in the UK.

Richard Caborn: The UK has 25 world heritage sites of which 22 are located within the UK mainland. A break-down of these sites and the years in which they were inscribed is in the table.
	
		
			 Year inscribed Sites 
		
		
			 1986 Ironbridge Gorge 
			 1986 Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites 
			 1987 Blenheim Palace and Park 
			 1987 Palace of Westminster, St. Margaret's Church and Westminster Abbey 
			 1987 City of Bath 
			 1987 Hadrian's Wall 
			 1989 The Tower of London 
			 1988 Canterbury Cathedral (with St. Augustine's Abbey and St. Martin's Church) 
			 1986 Castle and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd 
			 1986 St. Kilda 
			 1986 Giant's Causeway and Causeway coast 
			 1996 Edinburgh Old and New Towns 
			 1997 Maritime Greenwich 
			 1999 Heart of Neolithic Orkney 
			 2000 Blaenavon Industrial Landscape 
			 2001 Dorset and East Devon Coast 
			 2001 Derwent Valley Mills 
			 2001 New Lanark 
			 2001 Saltaire 
			 2003 Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Chagos Islands

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what cost estimate his Department has (a) prepared and (b) received relating to the resettlement of the Chagos Islands since 2002.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development has neither prepared nor received any estimate of costs for resettlement of these islands.

Chagos Islands

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what studies his Department has (a) conducted and (b) commissioned to identify possible commercial interests and commercial investment in the Chagos Islands.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development has neither conducted nor commissioned such studies.

Chagos Islands

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions his Department has held with the European Development Fund of the European Union to establish the possibility of EDF funding for resettlement of the Chagos Islands.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: There have been no such discussions with the European Union.

Civil Service (Relocation)

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many civil servants and what percentage of the total Civil Service workforce in his Department will be relocated over the next five years (a) outside the M25, (b) to the West Midlands and (c) to Staffordshire.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID is relocating 85 jobs from London to East Kilbride over the next five years, or five per cent. of its total Civil Service workforce of 1822. No jobs are being relocated to the West Midlands and Staffordshire.
	This latest relocation continues DFID's policy of decentralising from London to East Kilbride and overseas. Currently 67 per cent. of all DFID staff work outside London.

Darfur

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the safety of UN-sponsored workers in Darfur.

Hilary Benn: I regard the safety and security of humanitarian workers as paramount. This includes staff working for the UN, the International Committee of the Red Cross as well as NGOs. To that end DFID has contributed 500,000 to UNDP and UNICEF for UNSECOORD (UN Security Co-ordination System) to undertake work on security and staff safety throughout Sudan including Darfur. We continue to support the provision of essential equipment and resources to ensure that all UN operations are compliant with UN Minimum Operating Safety Standards. In addition, our support for NGOs includes provision of essential communications equipment.

Darfur

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he is having with (a) the UN and (b) the African Union on plans to put in place post-conflict reconstruction, including rural development schemes, in Darfur.

Hilary Benn: I have not had any discussions with either the UN or the African Union about plans to put in place post-conflict reconstruction, including rural development schemes, in Darfur. The international community is focused on the severity of the immediate humanitarian crisis that we face in Darfur. DFID's priorities in discussion with the UN have been to ensure an effective response to the immediate needs, which are all the more urgent because of the onset of the rainy season. With the African Union, my discussions have focused on how to meet the immediate priority of deployment of the African Union-led Ceasefire Commission for Darfur.

Departmental Staff

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many staff were employed by the Department in (a) 200203 and (b) 200304, in terms of (i) total staff and (ii) staff years, broken down by key headings in the Department's Annual Report.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: Details of DFID staff numbers (in each of the categories set out in the Department's Annual Report) for 200203 and 200304 are contained in the following table:
	
		
			 Staff type Number in 20022003 Staff years in 20022003 Number in 20032004 Staff years in 20032004 
		
		
			 Home Civil Service staff in London and Overseas Offices(10) 1126 1110.7 1307 1289.7 
			 Home Civil Service staff in East Kilbride Office 515 489.4 515 490.3 
			 Staff appointed in UK on fixed-term contracts for development assistance projects(11) 60 60 32 32 
			 Staff Appointed in Country by overseas offices(11) 874 874 914 914 
			 Staff appointed overseas on fixed-term contracts for development assistance 199 199 117 117 
			 Total 2774 2733.1 2885 2843.0 
		
	
	(10) Information on our Home Civil Service (HCS) staff numbers at 1 April each year, is supplied via formal returns to the Cabinet Office. Our overseas HCS staff numbers are included with our London staff figures. A split of these figures between London and overseas is not required by Cabinet Office and is not readily available.
	(11) Information on staff years in these categories is not held and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Staff in these categories are shown as working a full staff year.

Iraq

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether Iraq is classified as a (a) Least Developed Country and (b) Middle-Income Country; and when an assessment was last made of its status.

Hilary Benn: Iraq does not have a Least Developed Country status. The United Nations' list of Least Developed Countries is reviewed every three years.
	Iraq was last classified by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC) as a Lower Middle-Income Country, based on 2001 GNI per capita data produced by the World Bank.
	The World Bank estimates Iraq's per capita GDP in 2003 to have been between US$480 to $630; i.e. low enough to put it in the low-income category. GDP is, however, expected to grow rapidly over the coming years. GDP per head was as high as US$3,600 in the early 1980s.

Iraq

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has pledged to women's organisations operating in Iraq; and how much has been distributed since March 2003.

Hilary Benn: Since March 2003 DFID has provided 500,000 to the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) to develop and implement a strategy for empowering women in Iraq, strengthen women's groups and encourage government to take proper account of the needs of women. DFID has also provided 106,000 for a project providing assistance to vulnerable women in Northern Iraq.
	DFID has recently approved funding to support political representation and participation by all Iraqi citizens, particularly women, and to strengthen the capacity of Iraq's civil society organisations to represent vulnerable groups. These funds will be available to support a range of initiatives, including promoting the role of women in Iraqi society.

Resource Allocation

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what quantitative data were used to rank multilateral agencies for effectiveness in the Strategic Review of Resource Allocation Priorities of January 2003, section 3.3.

Hilary Benn: DFID is developing its own system for measuring and scoring the relative effectiveness of multilateral agencies. This is done with reference to eight corporate organisational systems, and three measures of each system. The scoring system is a modified version of the balanced scorecard, similar to that used by many UK Government Departments. It is designed to focus on the strengths and weaknesses of each multilateral and a focused group of measures to be monitored over the next three years.

Sudan/Chad

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what (a) financial and (b) other support he is offering the government of Chad to deal with the current humanitarian situation.

Hilary Benn: The Department for International Development does not have a bilateral programme in Chad. However, DFID is providing significant humanitarian assistance to Chad in response to the refugee humanitarian crisis. Our assistance has been channelled through multi-lateral organisations. This support has included 2 million to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), providing emergency assistance to Sudanese refugees in Eastern Chad. The thrust of this support is to ensure basic humanitarian needs are met, but also the relocation of refugees away from the border, where they remain at risk from attack. Assistance has also included protection, health, shelter and water, education, legal assistance, food distribution and household support. UNHCR are participating actively in efforts by Governments and regional organisations such as the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the United Nations to identify and implement political solutions to the problems. They are also co-ordinating with the Chadian Government counterpart, CNAR, and other humanitarian actors to ensure a co-ordinated response to the needs of the Sudanese refugees.
	DFID has also provided 1 million financial support to the World Food Programme to assist with the distribution of food aid commodities. The food aid is expected to reach 72,500 people, 60,000 of who are refugees in North East Chad. Further support in the region is envisaged.

Sudan/Chad

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support he is offering to the African Union monitoring teams in the Sudan.

Hilary Benn: DFID has already contributed 2 million to the African Union-led Ceasefire Commission for Darfur, and we are working to provide a British monitor to join the mission.

Sudan/Chad

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the latest figure is for financial support for humanitarian assistance in Darfur.

Hilary Benn: The latest total figure for humanitarian assistance to Darfur was released by the UN on 27 June. Their report of 27 June 2004 stated that $319,889,014 (about 170 million) had been pledged by the international community for humanitarian assistance to Darfur and Chad.
	Since September 2003, the UK has allocated 34.5 million for humanitarian assistance in response to Darfur. The following table represents funding commitments for interventions that have been agreed with humanitarian agencies. The current total of agreed funding commitments is about 27 million. DFID is currently agreeing further commitments that will reflect our allocation of 34.5 million.
	
		
			 Date Agency Description Total cost () 
		
		
			 Agreed commitment to UN agencies
			 October to December 2003 UNHCR Supplementary Appeal for Emergency Assistance to Sudanese Refugees in Eastern Chad-2003 1,000,000 
			 March 2004 to January 2005 UNHCR Emergency Assistance to Sudanese Refugees in Eastern Chad 1,000,000 
			 November 2003 to March 2004 WFP Additional Contribution to 2003 UN Appeal, due to Crisis in Darfur, to Provide Emergency Food Assistance to Sudanese Populations Affected by War and Natural Disasters 2,000,000 
			 March to December 2004 WFP Emergency Distribution of Food Aid Commodities to Sudanese Refugees in North East Chad 1,000,000 
			 May to December 2004 WFP Emergency purchase and distribution of Food Aid for internally displaced Sudanese in Darfur 2,000,000 
			 February to December 2004 UNICEF Emergency Assistance to Humanitarian Crisis in Darfur for Health; Water Supply; Water and Environmental Sanitation; Relief and Shelter Items; and the Protection of Children 1,000,000 
			 May to December 2004 UNICEF Additional support to humanitarian assistance for crisis in Darfur; emergency nutrition; emergency health care and the protection of children 1,500,000 
			 May to November 2004 WHO Emergency primary health care and response to communicable diseases in Darfur; support to measles vaccination programme 1,500,000 
			 May to July 2004 UN Joint Logistics Centre Support to enable UNJLC to co-ordinate the logistics of an effective humanitarian response in Sudan 250,000 
			 June to September 2004 UNOHCHR Support to Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights for deployment of Human Rights monitors in Darfur 250,000 
			 
			 Support to the ICRC
			 November to December 2003 ICRC Contribution to the ICRC 2003 Emergency Appeal for Sudan 1,000,000 
			 June to December 2004 ICRC Contribution to the ICRC 2003 Emergency Appeal for Sudan 2,000,000 
			 
			 Agreed commitment to NGOS
			 October 2003 to September 2004 SC-UK Emergency Response to Conflict Related Internal Displacement in North Darfur 500,000 
			 January to April 2004 MSF-F Emergency Assistance to IDPs in Darfurthrough increasing access to health care in conflict areas, disease prevention, halting nutritional deterioration and treating malnourished children 491,369 
			 June to December 2004 MSF-F Emergency Assistance to IDPs in Darfurthrough increasing access to health care in conflict areas, disease prevention, halting nutritional deterioration and treating malnourished children 1,006,860 
			 January to December 2004 MSF-H Darfur Components of Emergency Health Interventions in Northern Sudan Project 1,301,822 
			 February to November 2004 GOAL Emergency Assistance to Population in Kutum Province, North Darfurthrough a combined Health, Nutrition and Shelter Intervention 575,963 
			 March to December 2004 ACF Emergency Nutrition Programme in North Darfur 250,000 
			 March to November 2004 ACF Emergency Nutrition Programme in North Darfur 623,326 
			 April to December 2004 OXFAM Public Health Humanitarian Response Darfur (Water/ Sanitation Programme) 2,193,161 
			 May to October 2004 MSF-Belgium Emergency Health Care for IDPs in North Darfur 671,300 
			 May to October 2004 CARE Logistics operation to improve access to shelter and non-food items for IDPs in Greater Darfur 603,195 
			 June 2004 to March 2005 International Rescue Committee Provision of Environmental Health, Primary Health and Child Protection Services for War Affected Communities in North Darfur 728,849 
			 June 2004 to June 2005 SC-US Emergency Water and Sanitation Intervention in West Darfur 676,206 
			 
			 Secondments
			 March to June 2004 OCHA Secondments of 4 staff (1 Khartoum, 3 in Darfur) 278,759 
			 May to July 2004 UNJLC Secondment of 3 staff to UNJLC 125,000 
			 June to September 2004 UNICEF Secondment of 3 staff to UNICEF 130,000 
			 June to September 2004 WHO Secondment of 3 staff to WHO 230,000 
			 
			 Water
			 June 2004 to January 2005 UNICEF Airlift of one truck-mounted drilling rig and four water tankers 590,000 
			 
			 Non-food items
			 May to June 2004 WFP Provision of 264,800m of rope, 31,500 tarpaulins and 86,000 blankets 1,400,822 
			 June 2004 OCHA Humanitarian Information Centre 110,000 
			 Total Humanitarian Assistance (DFID) committed to Darfur since September 2003   26,986,632 
			 
			 Africa Conflict Prevention Pool
			 May 2004 AU Monitoring Mission Support for swift deployment of AU monitors (from Africa Conflict Prevention Pool) 2,000,000 
			 Total UK response to Darfur to date   28,986,632

Sudan/Chad

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will press the European Commission to provide funds within two weeks for (a) humanitarian aid and (b) African Union peace monitors in Darfur, Western Sudan.

Hilary Benn: I have been in regular contact with colleagues in the European Commission and the African Union about these matters. The European Commission has provided $56,259,990 (c. 30 million) in response to the crisis in Darfur, Western Sudan since September 2003 (reported by the UN on 27 June). This includes $22,649,270 (c. 12 million) from ECHO. DFID is pressing the Commission to increase its contribution to the crisis, including more food aid and additional financial resources from ECHO.
	The European Commission has already committed 12 million Euros (c. 8 million) from the Peace Facility to fund African Union peace monitors in Darfur, Western Sudan. This was agreed by the General Affairs and External Relations Council on 14 June. It represents over 50 per cent. of the costs of the monitors. DFID is pressing the Commission to ensure that these funds can be used by the African Union monitors as soon as possible.

Sudan/Chad

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many ceasefire monitors are deployed in Darfur.

Hilary Benn: Thirty-four people have now been deployed to the African Union-led ceasefire monitoring mission in Darfur, with a further three working out of Khartoum. More, including six monitors from the EU, are on their way.

Sudan/Chad

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the latest estimate is of the numbers of displaced people in (a) Sudan and (b) Chad as a result of the troubles there.

Hilary Benn: The UN estimates that over 1.2 million people are internally displaced within Darfur, Western Sudan, as a result of the crisis in Darfur. In addition, the UN estimates that approximately 4 million people are displaced throughout Sudan as a result of the war between the Government of Sudan and the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement.
	The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that there are over 100,000 refugees in eight camps in Chad, and that there are a further 75,000 refugees around the border area who have fled Sudan due to the crisis in Darfur.

Zimbabwe

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action his Department intends to take to help ensure that the forthcoming elections in Zimbabwe are fair and open.

Hilary Benn: The Government of Zimbabwe have informally announced that the next parliamentary elections will be held in March 2005. Responsibility for ensuring that those elections are fair and open rests with the Government of Zimbabwe. Following the 2002 presidential election, international election observers, including the Commonwealth Election Observer Group, the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Parliamentary Forum on Norms and Standards for Elections and other bilateral observer missions, concluded that the legal framework for preparing and conducting elections in Zimbabwe was not conducive to conducting a free and open election.
	The Zimbabwe state press earlier this week reported ZANU(PF) proposals for changes in the procedures for Zimbabwean elections. It is too early to say if these proposals will be enacted, and if so, what difference they will make. But it is important to note that the freedom and fairness of elections is a function not only of voting and counting procedures, but also of whether they take place in a climate which permits democratic debate, with a functioning independent media and civil society, and freedom from violence and intimidation.
	The UK Government are prepared to work with all parties in Zimbabwe, UN agencies and other donors to help establish a satisfactory electoral framework. This would require all concerned; including the Government of Zimbabwe, to demonstrate a commitment to internationally accepted electoral procedures and standards of democratic debate. So far, the Government of Zimbabwe have not demonstrated this commitment.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Respite Care

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with Home First Community Trust regarding (a) the Twilight nursing service and (b) respite facilities for adults with learning difficulties in (i) Larne, (ii) Carrickfergus and (iii) Newtownabbey; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: No discussions have taken place with Home First Community Trust.
	Following an evaluation of the Twilight Nursing service in 2002, it was decided to expand and modernise the service. The new service will operate across the Trust area 9 am to 11 pm, and will have additional resources to care for a wider range of patients. An additional 270,000 has been provided to develop the service. Respite care is provided in a number of facilities in Antrim, Larne, Carrickfergus, Newtownabbey and Belfast to which people in the East Antrim area have access. The Trust is also in discussion with Positive Futures to expand home-based family respite provision in the area. A meeting with parents to discuss respite provision is planned for 1 July.

12 July Celebrations

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will attend, as a guest of the hon. Member for South Antrim, the 12 July celebrations of the battle of the Boyne in Ballymoney, County Antrim.

Paul Murphy: I have no plans to do so.

Undergraduates

John Hume: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the reasons for Northern Ireland being a net exporter of undergraduate students; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: In 200203, full-time NI domiciled undergraduate students who migrated to GB outnumbered inward migrants by a ratio of around four to one. There are a number of factors affecting student migration for higher education, across the United Kingdom and beyond. These include the cap, which Government imposes as a cost control mechanism, on full-time undergraduate places in NI. At this point it is not possible to determine the relative impact of each of these factors on out-migration and in-migration to Northern Ireland.
	My Department is researching inter-regional flows of HE students, including the extent to which those students that leave NI do so to secure a place at the institution of their choice.

Sinn Fein

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment the Government have made of the fitness of Sinn Fein (a) to hold office in the Northern Ireland Executive and (b) to enjoy the benefits of House of Commons membership in the light of the Independent Monitoring Commission's findings on Sinn Fein's responsibility for continuing terrorist activity and paramilitary involvement.

Ian Pearson: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced to the House on 20 April the steps he proposed to take in the light of the IMC's first report. The Commission made no recommendation on the points mentioned. But we are clear that devolved government in Northern Ireland can operate in future only if it is free from association with paramilitary activity.

Civil Servants (Industrial Action)

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations he has made to (a) the European Commission and (b) the Governments of other member states for special consideration to be given to hauliers and other business drivers from Northern Ireland who have been unable (i) to obtain an MOT certificate and (ii) to tax their vehicles as a result of the current industrial action of civil servants.

Angela Smith: The certificates of temporary exemption that are now being issued for goods vehicles exempt owners and operators from the requirement to have their vehicles tested for a three-month period from the date of issue. The certificates do not alter their responsibility to maintain their vehicles in a roadworthy condition. The Department for Transport, which has overall responsibility for vehicle licensing in the UK, has written to the European Commission to make them aware of the current difficulties in Northern Ireland.

Civil Servants (Industrial Action)

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the current backlog of cases awaiting a hearing or determination of (a) an industrial and (b) an employment tribunal in Northern Ireland is.

Barry Gardiner: The latest figures available are for 31 March 2004 and at that time there were 1,124 complaints awaiting the attention of the Fair Employment Tribunal and 16,170 complaints awaiting determination by the Industrial Tribunals.

Civil Servants (Industrial Action)

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many of each category of driving test has been cancelled in Northern Ireland because of industrial action by the Civil Service.

Angela Smith: At 24 June 2004 the Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency had cancelled 5,791 practical driving tests since continuous industrial action started on 17 May. The table provides a breakdown by driving test category.
	
		
			 Driving test category Number of cancellations 
		
		
			 Car plus light goods vehicle 5,186 
			 Motorcycle 195 
			 Large goods vehicle 343 
			 Passenger-carrying vehicle/omnibus 62 
			 Car plus trailer 5 
			   
			 Total 5,791

Civil Service Recruitment

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many posts have been advertised by the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in each of the last five years; how many of the reserved posts which fall within the remit of (a) the Northern Ireland Civil Service Commissioners and (b) the Great Britain Civil Service Commissioners, broken down by grade.

Ian Pearson: Details of posts advertised in each of the last five years, broken down by grade and categorisation are in the table. All the posts fall within the remit of the Northern Ireland Civil Service Commissioners and, with the exception of one post*, all were categorised as reserved.
	
		
			  Posts advertised Appointments 
		
		
			 1999 SCS 1 
			 2000 SCS 1 
			 2001 SCS 1 
			  SCS 2 
			  Grade A 6 
			  Grade Bl 8 
			 2002 Grade A 1 
			  Grade A* 1 
			  Grade B1 0 
			  Grade A 8 
			  Grade Bl 12 
			 2003 Grade B1 9 
			 2004 SCS 1 
			  Grade B1 Competition on-going 
			  Grade A Competition on-going 
			  Grade A Competition on-going 
			  Grade B Competition on-going 
			  Grade B1 Competition on-going

Clinical Networks

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made with clinical networks as set out in the Department of Health document Developing Better Services of June 2002.

Angela Smith: A number of networks are already in operation or are planned for the near future. At a regional level, networks are in place for the provision of cancer services, and trauma and orthopaedic services. At a local level, networking arrangements are in place for a wide range of services including: emergency and ophthalmology services between Altnagelvin, Omagh and Erne hospitals; paediatric services between Antrim and Causeway hospitals, and between Craigavon and Daisy Hill hospitals; surgical services between the Lagan Valley and Downe hospitals and the Belfast City, Royal and Ulster hospitals; and, ophthalmology services between the Royal Victoria and South Tyrone hospitals.
	In addition to the above, a large number of other regional and local networks are being progressed as part of the on-going implementation of Developing Better Services.

Departmental Consultations

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total cost of consultation exercises carried out by Northern Ireland Government Departments was in Northern Ireland during the past year.

John Spellar: The estimated amount of money spent on consultation exercises carried out by Northern Ireland Government Departments during the last year was 863,224.

Director of Public Prosecutions

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland who is responsible for deciding which posts are reserved in the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Ian Pearson: Decisions on categorisation of posts across the civil service (including the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions) are made by the business area concerned in accordance with relevant domestic and EC law. Those posts which constitute employment in the public service within the meaning of the EC Treaty are categorised as reserved posts.

Health (Planning Applications)

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if the Department of the Environment will ensure that someone with a medical background is involved in determining planning applications concerning health issues; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: I have been advised that Planning Service officials have finalised their investigations into the use of medical advisors to assess special circumstances planning applications and I expect a recommendation on the way forward in the very near future.

Illegal Organisations

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what action has been taken to date to ensure that (a) the Real IRA and (b) other illegal organisations spawning from Sinn Fein/IRA in the future will be automatically proscribed.

Ian Pearson: The Government have consistently maintained that RIRA and similar organisations are proscribed under the Terrorism Act 2000. The Court of Appeal has confirmed this in its judgement today.

Land Sales (Department for Social Development)

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many sales there have been involving land owned by the Department for Social Development at Craigavon, County Armagh in the last two years; and what criteria were used in each sale.

John Spellar: During the last two financial years there have been 28 sales involving land owned by the Department for Social Development in the Craigavon area. Details are as follows:
	Financial Year 200203
	16 sites were sold:
	seven sites within the development limit for Craigavon were disposed of in accordance with Article 5(1) of the New Town Act;
	one freehold interest was purchased by the owner;
	one encroachment was regularised;
	one abandoned road area was sold to an adjoining owner;
	two areas of land outside the development limit were sold to former owners;
	one house and land outside the development limit were sold to the former owner;
	two areas of land retained for road purposes were released and sold to adjoining owners; and
	one area of land without road access was sold to an adjoining owner.
	Financial Year 200304
	12 sites were sold:
	three sites within the development limit for Craigavon were disposed of in accordance with Article 5(1) of the New Town Act;
	seven small sites retained for a road scheme now completed were sold to adjoining owners;
	one encroachment was regularised; and
	one area outside the development limit was sold to the former owner.

Maiden City Festival

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the estimated value to the Northern Ireland economy is of the Maiden City Festival; and what level of Government support is provided for it.

Barry Gardiner: The Government do not collect this information and are therefore not in a position to assess the benefit of the Maiden City Festival to the Northern Ireland economy. Set out in the following table are details of funding made available by Departments of Northern Ireland Administration during the period 200105.
	
		
		
			 Department/Agency 20012002 20022003 20032004 20042005 
		
		
			 Northern Ireland Tourist Board 20,000 25,000 0 Application under consideration. 
			 Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure 50,000 50,000 50,000 Application under consideration. 
			 Department of Social Development 0 0 (12)20,800 LRI application under Consideration. 
			 Overall total 70,000 75,000 70,800 n/a 
		
	
	(12)Allocated through the Londonderry Regeneration Initiative this funding was offered for the post of a Development Worker and associated advertising and recruitment costs.
	In addition, the Ulster Scots Agency has made 120,000 available during the period (30,000 in 200102, 30,000 in 200203, 30,000 in 200304 and 30,000 in 200405) and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland provided 50,000 of National Lottery funding in 200203.

Northern Ireland Housing Executive

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the reasons were for the decision to introduce a moratorium on Northern Ireland Housing Executive house sales on 18 May; for what reason this decision was taken prior to conclusion of the Department for Social Development's consultation on proposed changes to the housing order; and if he will make a statement.

John Spellar: There has been no moratorium on Northern Ireland Housing Executive house sales; applications to purchase are being accepted and applicants are being informed that the terms upon which their application will be assessed may be subject to change pending the outcome of the consultation exercise into the proposed amendments to the scheme. The decision to proceed in this manner was taken in order to avoid an inevitable surge in applications which would have occurred had a prior announcement of the proposals been made.
	The proposed changes to the house sales scheme, which may be subject to amendment following the completion of the consultation, are designed to take account of the aspirations of tenants to move to owner occupation without compromising the needs of those who continue to depend on social housing.

Northern Ireland Housing Executive

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Northern Ireland Housing Executive-sector house sales applications were pending before the ministerial moratorium was introduced on 18 May; and how many applications for house sales are being processed by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive.

John Spellar: At 18 May, there were 3,609 house sales applications, at various stages of completion, being processed by NIHE. These cases will not be affected by whatever changes are implemented as a result of the consultation into the proposed amendments to the House Sales Scheme.
	From 18 May to 24 June, the NIHE received 494 house sales applications. While preparatory work is being undertaken on these applications, offers will not be made until the consultation exercise is completed, the responses considered and the sales scheme finalised.

Peace Process

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the peace process.

Paul Murphy: As the Prime Minister said on Friday, it is time to end the negotiations with a conclusive agreement or find another way forward. The Prime Minister made clear that there will be intensive talks in early September. Our position is clear: we need to see an end now to all forms of paramilitary activity, and it is imperative that we restore as soon as possible a stable and inclusive partnership Government in Northern Ireland.

Tyrone County Hospital/Erne Hospital

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what resources will be made available to maintain and develop services at (a) the Tyrone County Hospital in Omagh and (b) the Erne Hospital in Enniskillen; and what plans are in place for (i) service improvements in staffing and (ii) other investment for both sites over the next three years.

Angela Smith: I am fully committed to the timely and effective implementation of the new configuration of services set out in Developing Better Services (DBS). Until these changes can be effected, I will do everything I can to sustain services on existing sites.
	Both Sperrin Lakeland Trust and the Western Health and Social Services Board are committed to this policy and with the Department's support are engaged in an extensive on-going programme of investment in staffing and infrastructure aimed at sustaining key services at Tyrone County and Erne Hospitals in the interim period. This programme of investment will continue over the next three years and beyond.

HEALTH

Amyl Nitrate

Huw Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what health advice is given to young people about the use and side effects of inhaling poppers containing amyl nitrate, with particular reference to the products (a) Liquid Gold, (b) Pure Gold and (c) TNT.

Melanie Johnson: The Department has published two guidance leaflets specifically aimed at young people, which give advice about the use and side effects of a number of drugs, including poppers containing amyl nitrite.
	The FRANK website, www.talktofrank.com, aims to inform young people and their parents, carers and families about the effects and risks of taking illicit drugs, including poppers containing amyl nitrite.

Barbeque Food

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 19 May 2004, Official Report, column 1005W, on barbeque food, if he will set out the reasons for the comment made in the comment column for 2001.

Melanie Johnson: For completeness the previous answer provided information on outbreaks reported as being associated with barbecues or with barbecued food. The salmonella enteritidis outbreak in 2001 was associated with tiramisu served as a dessert at a private barbecue.

Beauty Parlour Stroke Syndrome

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many instances of beauty parlour stroke syndrome have been recorded over the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested is not available centrally.

Blind and Deaf People

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are registered as (a) blind and (b) deaf in (i) Chorley, (ii) Lancashire and (iii) the north-west.

Melanie Johnson: Information is collected not on a constituency level, but on a local authority basis. The table shows the number of people who are registered blind at 31 March 2003 and those registered as deaf at 31 March 2001 in Lancashire and the north-west.
	
		Rounded numbers
		
			  Number of people registered as: 
			  Blind (March 2003) Deaf (March 2001) 
		
		
			 Lancashire(13) 3,920 915 
			 North-west 24,215 n/a 
		
	
	n/a = data are not available for all councils within the north-west region.
	(13) Data refer to Lancashire council with social services responsibilities.
	Source:
	SSDA902 and SSDA910.

Dentistry

Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients in Gloucestershire are waiting to be registered with a NHS dentist.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Dentistry

Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that the demand for NHS dentistry in Gloucestershire is met.

Rosie Winterton: We have provided new investment totalling 90 million to national health service dentistry over the last year. 59 million will support access and strategic health authorities (SHAs) have been advised of their shares and are working with their primary care trusts (PCTs), including those in Gloucestershire, to address access issues. 30 million is to support information technology and the balance of 1 million will support organisational development locally.
	In Gloucestershire, the existing dental access centres offer emergency and routine dental treatmentthis is prioritised according to patients' needs and the demands placed on the service.
	All the PCTs in Gloucestershire have been invited by Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire SHA to submit proposals to improve access to dental care, funded through the SHA's 2 million share of the access funding. They are also exploring the possibility of establishing an outreach-teaching pilot for dental and dental therapy students with Bristol University.
	West Gloucestershire PCT is one of the 16 PCTs in England with which the shadow NHS dentistry support team is working. The support team has made several visits to Gloucestershire towards the end of 2003, and an action plan to establish new dental practices in Cinderford, in the Forest of Dean and Gloucester City will be agreed by the end of April 2004. Additionally, work is under way to explore the potential for overseas recruitment in Gloucestershire.
	Cheltenham and Tewkesbury and Cotswold and Vale PCTs are taking similar action and are inviting all dental practices to participate and submit proposals for use of the extra resources available from 200405.

Departmental Administrative Budget

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total administrative budget of the Department was in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: Detailed information on administration costs for the Department back to 199899 and with projections to 200506, is set out in Figure 8.1 of the 2004 Departmental Report (CM 6204). Copies are available in the Library. Data for years before 199899 are not available on the same basis.

Departmental Policies (Hull)

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what impact his Department's policies have had on the Hull North constituency since 1997.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 24 May 2004
	The Government has put in place a programme of national health service investment and reform since 1997 to improve service delivery in all parts of the United Kingdom. There is significant evidence that these policies have yielded considerable benefits for the Hull North constituency.
	For example:
	At the end of March 2004, the number of people waiting more than nine months for inpatient treatment within West Hull Primary Care Trust (PCT) has fallen to 0, from 376 in June 2002.
	At the end of March 2004 the number of patients waiting over 13 weeks for outpatient treatment within West Hull PCT has fallen to 390, from 818 in June 2002.
	In September 2002, at Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, 63.7 per cent., of patients spent less than four hours in accident and emergency from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge. Figures for December 2003 show an improvement to 92.4 per cent..
	Between September 2002 and September 2003, the number of consultants at Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust has increased from 208 to 234. The number of nurses increased from 2,292 to 2,399.
	Figures for December 2003 show that all patients within West Hull PCT are able to be offered an appointment with a primary care professional within two working days.
	In the Kingston upon Hull local authority area, death rates from cancer per 100,000 population have risen to 227.2 in 2002, from 223.8 in 1997.
	In the Kingston upon Hull local authority area, death rates from coronary heart disease per 100,000 population have fallen to 156.9 in 2002, from 181.5 in 1997.
	West Hull PCT's allocation has risen to 163.4 million for 200405, a cash increase of 6.4 per cent..
	In March 2003, a new women's and children's hospital was opened at the Hull Royal Infirmary, which brings together all maternity, gynaecology and children's outpatients services on the same site.
	A 6 million eye hospital opened in November 2002, with 12 new beds and three theatres, enabling 1,000 additional eye operations to be carried out per year.
	A 60 million private finance initiative oncology centre development at Castle Hill is due to open in 2006.
	A 29 million new cardiac centre was announced by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health, on a visit to Hull Royal Infirmary on 13 January 2004. The new unit will be at Castle Hill Hospital and will employ an additional 150 staff.
	An additional computed tomograhpy scanner is due to be delivered by December 2004.
	An additional magnetic resonance imaging scanner was delivered to Hull Royal Infirmary in March 2001. Another additional scanner is due to be delivered to the trust by December 2004.
	A replacement linear accelerator was delivered to Princess Royal Hospital in January 2001.
	Source:
	Department of Health.
	Office of National Statistics.

Departmental Refurbishment Costs

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what costs have been incurred in the last 12 months by the Department in refurbishment of its buildings.

Rosie Winterton: In the last complete financial year (200304), the Department has spent 2,840,000 on refurbishing its core headquarters buildings in London and Leeds.

Emergency Planning

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 24 May 2004, Official Report, column 1378W, on emergency planning, how many times the long-standing arrangements between the NHS and the armed forces have been tested; what form these tests took; and when they last occurred.

John Hutton: The call out and co-ordination aspects of these arrangements are tested whenever military assistance is requested by the ambulance service or hospitals. For example, military search and rescue helicopters routinely deliver patients to national health service hospitals and ambulances and are often involved in urgent patient transfers. No specific exercises are conducted; the military response depends on the assets operationally available at the time.
	The guidance issued to the NHS explains that the two areas where the NHS and the military need to collaborate are:
	When the NHS needs to receive and treat military casualties from overseas:
	There is a joint Ministry of Defence/Department of Health plan, Reception Arrangements for Military Patients (RAMP), in place for the handling of armed forces casualties returning to the United Kingdom from overseas. This plan is tested routinely, whenever military casualties are aeromedically evacuated from military operations or training exercises overseas back to the UK.
	When the armed forces can offer help and support to the NHS following a major incident or massive disaster:
	All NHS organisations are required to include arrangements in their major incident plans for accessing military resources. During an emergency, civil authorities, including the NHS, can call on the armed forces for help in dealing with the crisis under the military aid to the civil authorities scheme.

EU Health Insurance Card

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with (a) other Government Departments, (b) EU representatives and (c) interested organisations on the introduction of the EU health insurance card in the UK;
	(2)  how he plans to meet the EU requirement for British residents to have an EU health insurance card by December 2005;
	(3)  what data must be recorded on the EU health insurance card to meet EU requirements;
	(4)  what plans he has to introduce the EU health insurance card in the UK; and what format this card will take.

John Hutton: There has been detailed discussion with other member states and the European Commission (EC) prior to the EC's proposals. We have also had consultations with the devolved Administrations and a range of other Government Departments.
	We will set out our proposals for introduction of the card in a consultation paper to be issued shortly. The card will be introduced before the end of 2005.
	The data that will appear on the face of all health cards will be:
	First name.
	Surname.
	Date of birth.
	Personal identification number.
	Country code.
	Identification number of the institution responsible for reimbursement of health care.
	Identification number of the card.
	There will be no electronic data on the United Kingdom card and no clinical information relating to patients. The EC has proposed that a future phase will be to make the European health insurance card a smart card, that is, one with the inclusion of electronic information. The EC is developing its proposals, which will need to be discussed with member states.

Health Care Professionals (Vacancies)

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many vacancies there are in the NHS for (a) community-based and (b) palliative care health care professionals.

John Hutton: holding answer 10 June 2004
	Table 1 shows the three-month vacancy rates and numbers for specified areas of work for qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff. Community midwifery figures are not collected separately. Therefore, the data refer to hospital and community based midwives.
	The Department does not separately identify data on community-based doctors. Table 2 shows the three-month vacancy rates and numbers for consultants in palliative care medicine as at 31 March 2003.
	
		Table 1 -- Department of Health vacancies survey, March 2003 Three-month vacancies in the specified areas of work for qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff Three-month vacancy rates, numbers and staff in post
		
			  England 
		
		
			 Community learning disabilities  
			 March 2003  
			 Three-month vacancy rate (%) 2.6 
			 Three-month vacancy number 92 
			 September 2002  
			 Staff in post (whole-time equivalent) 3,579 
			 Staff in post (headcount) 4,053 
			   
			 Community psychiatry  
			 March 2003  
			 Three-month vacancy rate (%) 2.7 
			 Three-month vacancy number  
			 September 2002 305 
			 Staff in post (whole-time equivalent) 11,282 
			 Staff in post (headcount) 12,292 
			   
			 Midwives  
			 March 2003  
			 Three-month vacancy rate (%) 3.1 
			 Three-month vacancy number 572 
			 September 2002  
			 Staff in post (whole-time equivalent) 18,119 
			 Staff in post (headcount) 23,249 
			   
			 District nurses  
			 March 2003  
			 Three-month vacancy rate (%) 1.8 
			 Three-month vacancy number 201 
			 September 2002  
			 Staff in post (whole-time equivalent) 10,639 
			 Staff in post (headcount) 13,393 
			   
			 Health visitors  
			 March 2003  
			 Three-month vacancy rate (%) 2.3 
			 Three-month vacancy number 229 
			 September 2002  
			 Staff in post (whole-time equivalent) 9,912 
			 Staff in post (headcount) 12,774 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Three-month vacancy information is as at 31 March 2003
	2. Three-month vacancies are vacancies which trusts are actively trying to fill, which had lasted for three months or more (whole time equivalents)
	3. Three-month vacancy rates are three-month vacancies expressed as a percentage of three-month vacancies plus staff in post
	4. Three-month vacancy rates are calculated using staff in post from the vacancy survey, March 2003
	5. Percentages are rounded to one decimal place
	6. Staff in post data is from the non-medical workforce census, September 2002
	Sources:
	Department of Health vacancies survey, March 2003
	Department of Health non-medical workforce census, September 2002
	
		Table 2
		
			  Palliative care consultants 
		
		
			 Three-month vacancy rate (%) 12.7 
			 Three-month vacancy number 17 
			 Staff in post (whole-time equivalent) 114 
			 Staff in post (headcount) 148

Health Services (Rochdale)

Lorna Fitzsimons: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the levels of elective admissions to the NHS in Rochdale in 200304.

Melanie Johnson: During 200304, the number of elective admissions for patients in the Rochdale Primary Care Trust area was 16,583 (11,132 daycases and 5,451 ordinary admissions).

Health Services (Rochdale)

Lorna Fitzsimons: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what percentage of suspected cancer patients in Rochdale saw an NHS consultant within two weeks in each of the last seven years; and what percentage were (a) women and (b) from an ethnic minority.

Melanie Johnson: The information is not available in the format requested. Information on the number and percentage of suspected cancer patients, seen by a consultant within two weeks of urgent referral for each quarter since quarter 200001 is shown in the table. Earlier figures are not available.
	
		Total number of patients seen within two weeks for suspected cancer in Rochdale
		
			 Year/Qtr Name Total number of people seen within two weeks Total number of people seen Percentage of people seen in two weeks of referral 
		
		
			 200001 
			 4 Christie Hospital NHS Trust 19 20 95.05 
			 4 Oldham NHS Trust 167 179 93.30 
			 4 Rochdale Healthcare NHS Trust 200 202 99 
			 4 North Manchester Healthcare NHS Trust 200 213 93.9 
			 4 Bury Healthcare NHS Trust 374 385 97.1 
			  
			 200102 
			 1 Christie Hospital NHS Trust 5 6 83.3 
			 1 Oldham NHS Trust 181 191 94.8 
			 1 Rochdale Healthcare NHS Trust 224 229 97.8 
			 1 North Manchester Healthcare NHS Trust 242 255 94.9 
			 1 Bury Healthcare NHS Trust 345 359 96.1 
			 2 Christie Hospital NHS Trust 8 8 100 
			 2 Oldham NHS Trust 162 168 96.4 
			 2 Rochdale Healthcare NHS Trust 227 244 93 
			 2 North Manchester Healthcare NHS Trust 298 329 90.6 
			 2 Bury Healthcare NHS Trust 385 389 99 
			 3 Christie Hospital NHS Trust 3 3 100 
			 3 Oldham NHS Trust 181 183 98.9 
			 3 Rochdale Healthcare NHS Trust 235 236 99.6 
			 3 North Manchester Healthcare NHS Trust 286 302 94.7 
			 3 Bury Healthcare NHS Trust 398 400 99.5 
			 4 Christie Hospital NHS Trust 3 3 100 
			 4 Oldham NHS Trust 197 200 95.5 
			 4 Rochdale Healthcare NHS Trust 209 210 99.5 
			 4 North Manchester Healthcare NHS Trust 302 303 99.7 
			 4 Bury Healthcare NHS Trust 450 450 100 
			  
			 200203 
			 1 Christie Hospital NHS Trust 5 6 83.3 
			 1 Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 1,215 1,230 98.8 
			 2 Christie Hospital NHS Trust 2 2 100 
			 2 Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 1,240 1,251 99.1 
			 3 Christie Hospital NHS Trust 6 7 85.7 
			 3 Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 1,325 1,347 98.4 
			 4 Christie Hospital NHS Trust 4 5 80 
			 4 Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 1,190 1,242 95.8 
			  
			 200304 
			 1 Christie Hospital NHS Trust 3 4 75 
			 1 Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 1,214 1,316 92.2 
			 2 Christie Hospital NHS Trust 5 5 100 
			 2 Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 1,174 1,237 94.9 
			 3 Christie Hospital NHS Trust 3 3 100 
			 3 Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 1,276 1,308 97.6 
			 4 Christie Hospital NHS Trust 0 0  
			 4 Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 1,186 1,218 97.4 
		
	
	Source: Department of Health from QMCW

Hospital Building

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many new (a) general and (b) community hospitals have been opened in England in the last five years;
	(2)  how many new (a) general and (b) community hospital building projects are part of a private finance initiative procurement process in England;
	(3)  how many (a) general and (b) community hospitals are under construction in England.

John Hutton: There is no central agreed definition of what constitutes a general or community hospital but for practical purposes schemes can be placed in one of three categoriesgeneral and acute, community, and mental health.
	Currently there are 117 hospital schemes counting towards the NHS Plan target of 100 new hospital schemes by 2010. 107 will be built under the Private Finance Initiative. Of the 107, 38 are now operational of which 24 are general and acute, four community and 10 mental health. A further 22 are under construction of which 16 are general and acute, one community and five mental health. Of the 10 publicly procured schemes, six are now operational of which four are general and acute, one community and one mental health. Four are under construction of which three are general and acute and one community.

Inequalities in Health

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many of the total number of recommendations contained in the Acheson Report on inequalities in health have been acted upon; in what way the recommendations have been acted upon; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: The Acheson Report has been influential in developing current policy on health inequalities through its evidence base and the encouragement it has given to action on a broad front across Government. The Government's latest statement on health inequalities is Tackling Health Inequalities: A Programme for Action (2003). It sets out details of progress to date and future work across Government in laying the foundations to meet the 2010 public service agreement target on reducing health inequalities in life expectancy and infant mortality. A progress report on health inequalities is planned for later this year.
	An early interim assessment, Reducing Health Inequalities: An Action Report, against the 39 main recommendations was published in 1999 alongside the Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation White Paper. This report and the programme for action are both available in the Library.

Joint Committee on Vaccines and Immunisation

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what sub-groups of the Joint Committee on Vaccines and Immunisation are established; who their members are; what their respective programmes of work are; and whether they are expected to publish their conclusions.

Melanie Johnson: Subgroups of the joint committee on vaccination and immunisation (JCVI) are convened when required to investigate a particular issue on behalf of the committee. They enable additional specialist expertise to contribute to the issue. The work of a sub-group is defined by the main JCVI Committee. Subgroups report back to JCVI, and their work is covered in the JCVI minutes which are available on the Department's website at www.advisorybodies.doh.gov.uk/jvci.

Mental Health

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in England are receiving treatment for mental illness.

Rosie Winterton: Information on the number of unfinished in-patient provider spells in national health service hospitals where the patient was under the care of a mental illness consultant, by age and length of provider spell at 31March 2003 is shown in the table.
	
		
			 England  Number 
			  Age at 31 March 2003 
			 Length of provider spell at 31 March 2002 All ages 014 1544 4564 6574 75 + 
		
		
			 All durations 29,050 150 12,000 6,650 3,500 6,700 
			 Under 6 months 18,350 100 7,850 4,000 2,200 4,250 
			 6 monthsunder 1 year 3,250 (14) 1,400 800 400 650 
			 1 yearunder 2 years 2,700 (14) 1,150 650 350 600 
			 2 yearsunder 3 years 1,900 (14) 800 450 200 450 
			 3 yearsunder 5 years 1,300 (14) 500 300 150 400 
			 5 years and over 1,500 (14) 350 550 250 400 
		
	
	(14) Less than 50
	Notes:
	1. A provider spell is the length of time a patient is under the care of a particular provider.
	2. These figures are derived from data obtained directly from trusts.
	3. Figures may not add up due to rounding.

MRI Scanning

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans there are to increase capacity for MRI scanning in the health area covering Redbridge and Waltham Forest; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: After decades of underinvestment, there has been an unprecedented level of central capital funding provided to purchase magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners since 2000. These programmes are providing over 160 new MRI scanners from 2000 to 2006, resulting in a 150 per cent. increase in the number of MRI scanners available to the national health service since 1997. The allocations of new MRI scanners have been agreed in conjunction with strategic health authorities (SHAs) and have been made to ensure equitable access to MRI services across the country.
	One of the additional MRI scanners has been allocated to the Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust and is due for delivery at the end of 2004. This will increase the capacity for MRI scanning for patients living in the health area covering Redbridge and Waltham Forest.
	In addition, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health, announced on 8 April 2004 that a new five year deal with the independent sector is planned to allow an extra 80,000 MRI scans per year across the country through the use of mobile units.

Multiple Limb Disability

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many individuals in England have congenital multiple limb disability;
	(2)  what plans he has to provide a multidisciplinary centre for congenital multiple limb disability sufferers incorporating orthopaedic and rehabilitation services;.
	(3)  what specialist medical facilities exist to support those with congenital multiple limb disability;.
	(4)  what the procedures in the NHS are for referring patients with multiple limb disability to the Ex-Centre in Stockholm for assessment;.
	(5)  how many UK patients have been referred through the NHS to the Ex-Centre in Stockholm for multiple limb disability.

Stephen Ladyman: Figures on how many individuals in England have congenital multiple limb disability are not collected centrally, although the Department is aware that there are 455 individuals currently being supported in the United Kingdom by the Thalidomide Trust. Also, the Department recorded 18,910 finished admission episodes in national health service hospitals in England in 200203 relating to congenital malformations and deformations of the musculoskeletal system. A finished admission episode is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.
	It is for primary care trusts (PCTs), in partnership with strategic health authorities and other local stakeholders, to determine how best to use their funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health, tackling health inequalities and modernising services. This process provides the means for addressing local needs within the health community including the provision of prosthetic limbs. Prosthetic services are delivered to patients through 33 disablement service centres in England. Patients normally attend their local centre, but can attend another if they wish. If an overseas option is considered, it would be for the local PCT commissioning team to agree that. Figures on how many UK patients have been referred through the NHS to the Ex-Centre in Stockholm for multiple limb disability are not collected centrally. Prosthetic limbs are provided free of charge to single or multiple prosthetic limb users by the NHS. The NHS has available to it, via contracts negotiated by the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency, virtually everything that is available on the international market. Furthermore, local healthcare professionals have the ability to obtain products from outside of the current national agreement if it is deemed appropriate for the specific needs of particular patients.

Neonatal Intensive Care

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many neonatal intensive care cots there were in (a) England and (b) each strategic health authority in each year since 1996.

Stephen Ladyman: Data for strategic health authorities (SHAs) can only be provided for 200203, the year SHAs were introduced. Useful comparative data for England before 200203 cannot be provided as improved data collection over the period has excluded special care cots, which were formerly included in the data for neonatal intensive care cots.
	
		Neonatal intensive care cots at 31 March 2003
		
			 Organisation identifier SHA Neonatal intensive care cots 
		
		
			 Q01 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire HA 43 
			 Q02 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire HA 8 
			 Q03 Essex HA 42 
			 Q04 North West London HA 58 
			 Q05 North Central London HA 57 
			 Q06 North East London HA 28 
			 Q07 South East London HA 84 
			 Q08 South West London HA 20 
			 Q09 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear HA 18 
			 Q10 County Durham and Tees Valley HA 24 
			 Q11 North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire HA 22 
			 Q12 West Yorkshire HA 43 
			 Q13 Cumbria and Lancashire HA 15 
			 Q14 Greater Manchester HA 64 
			 Q15 Cheshire and Merseyside HA 47 
			 Q16 Thames Valley HA 22 
			 Q17 Hampshire and Isle of Wight HA 49 
			 Q18 Kent and Medway HA 19 
			 Q19 Surrey and Sussex HA 24 
			 Q20 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire HA 24 
			 Q21 South West Peninsula HA 17 
			 Q22 Somerset and Dorset HA 28 
			 Q23 South Yorkshire HA 17 
			 Q24 Trent HA 59 
			 Q25 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland HA 26 
			 Q26 Shropshire and Staffordshire HA 16 
			 Q27 Birmingham and the Black Country HA 47 
			 Q28 Coventry, Warwickshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire HA 36 
			  England 957 
		
	
	Note:
	The table shows neonatal intensive cots by strategic health authority for 200203, the year in which SHAs were introduced.
	Source:
	Department of Health KH03 returns.

NHS Dentists

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his latest estimate is of when everyone in England will have access to an NHS dentist.

Rosie Winterton: The Government recognise that it is difficult in some parts of the country to find a national health service dentist, This is why we are undertaking the most radical overhaul of NHS dentistry since 1948through legislation in the Health and Social Care Act 2003, transferring responsibility for commissioning NHS dental services to primary care trusts (PCTs). In addition to this, we have targeted 59 million specifically to improve access to NHS dentistry across England: 50 million allocated to PCTs for specific local initiatives and an additional 9 million specifically targeted to the 16 most challenged areas for dental access via the NHS support team. There are now nearly 50 dental access centres operational around the country. They are providing care to a group of patients who may not have previously been able to easily access NHS dentistry.
	At present, about 91 per cent. of callers to NHS Direct are being advised of available sources of NHS dentistry within locally agreed standards and about 19,000 people a month are doing so.

NHS Spending Levels

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what NHS spending was (a) in real terms and (b) at present prices in each region in each of the last 25 years; and what the projected spending levels will be for the next five years.

John Hutton: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

NICE Facilitators/Guidance

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what target dates he has set for ensuring that all primary care trusts have a National Institute for Clinical Excellence facilitator.

John Hutton: We have set no target dates as this is a matter for national health service bodies. We have asked strategic health authorities to work with the local NHS to ensure that they have effective arrangements in place for the implementation of National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidance.

NICE Facilitators/Guidance

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the NHS Information Centre to be in a position to provide good quality comparative information on the take-up of National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidance.

John Hutton: The arrangements for the co-ordination, collection and publication of statistics is being considered as part of the arm's length body (ALB) review. An announcement on the ALB review will be made shortly.

Nursing/Midwifery Training

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) nursing and (b) midwifery training places there were in each year since 1990; and what the projected number of training places is for each of the next five years.

John Hutton: Information on the number of nursing and midwifery training places in each year since 199293, the first available year, is shown in the table. Information is not available on the number of training places projected for each of the next five years, though we expect further growth as a result of increased investment in nurse training.
	
		Pre-registration nursing and midwifery training commissions
		
			  Total(15) 
		
		
			 199293 16,338 
			 199394 14,197 
			 199495 12,480 
			 199596 13,381 
			 199697 14,984 
			 199798 16,539 
			 199899 17,689 
			 19992000 18,707 
			 200001 20,021 
			 200102 21,770 
			 200203 22,956 
		
	
	(15) Adjusted to take account of Dearing transfer of 1,017 nursing degree places to national health service 199203 to 199798.

Osteoporosis

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received in the last six months from the National Osteoporosis Society on the review of pharmaceutical treatments for osteoporosis being conducted by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence.

Stephen Ladyman: In the last six months, the Department received 12 letters directly citing the National Osteoporosis Society in connection with the review of pharmaceutical treatments for osteoporosis treatments for osteoporosis.
	In addition, there have been 214 letters about the review from hon. and right hon. Members on behalf of constituents and organisations.

Out-of-Hours Services

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many primary care trusts have (a) begun to develop plans for out-of-hours services after December and (b) finalised plans for out-of-hours services after December; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: Delivery plans for the new primary care contracts and the modernisation of out of hours services require all primary care trusts to have in place plans for the delivery of out of hours services after December.
	In some places, these plans are already successfully delivering out of hours care in areas where practices have opted out. We continue to work closely with strategic health authorities to ensure a smooth transition to meet the time scales of the new contracts and to ensure patients continue to receive a quality assured service.

Plastic Surgery

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many (a) hospital admissions and (b) finished consultant episodes there were in (i) reconstructive plastic surgery and (ii) elective cosmetic plastic surgery in the NHS in each year since 1996; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what the cost to the NHS was of (a) reconstructive plastic surgery and (b) elective cosmetic plastic surgery in each year since 1996; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what criteria are used to determine which patients should be referred to receive cosmetic surgery on the NHS; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: Table 1 shows the number of finished hospital admissions and finished consultant episodes for both reconstructive plastic surgery and elective cosmetic surgery carried out in the national health service since 1996.
	Table 2 shows NHS expenditure on plastic surgery for the financial years 199596 to 200203. The Department is unable to distinguish between reconstructive and elective cosmetic surgery.
	The Department does not issue criteria to surgeons on the selection of patients for cosmetic surgery. The decision on whether to provide cosmetic surgery on the NHS is made locally by primary care trusts based on other competing priorities.
	
		Table 1. Counts of finished consultant episodes and finished admissions for plastic surgery and cosmetic surgery in NHS hospitals in England 199697 to 200203
		
			  Reconstructive plastic surgery Elective cosmetic surgery 
			  Finished episodes Finished admissions Finished episodes Finished admissions 
		
		
			 199697 5,239 5,202 2,603 2,598 
			 199798 5,346 5,300 2,522 2,515 
			 199899 5,836 5,816 2,837 2,835 
			 19992000 5,779 5,749 2,285 2,279 
			 200001 6,399 6,356 2,462 2,450 
			 200102 6,467 6,398 2,427 2,385 
			 200203 6,905 6,887 2,701 2,696 
		
	
	Source:
	Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health.
	
		Table 2. Hospital and community health services expenditure on plastic surgery199596 to 200203England
		
			 Financial year Expenditure () 
		
		
			 199596 148,163,186 
			 199697 160,604,901 
			 199798 172,683,817 
			 199899 189,208,695 
			 19992000 206,682,111 
			 200001 226,578,825 
			 200102 252,713,681 
			 200203 286,147,991 
		
	
	Sources:
	Annual financial returns of district and regional health authorities and the special health authorities for the London postgraduate teaching hospitals 199596.
	Annual financial returns of health authorities 199697.
	Annual financial returns of NHS trusts 199596 to 200203.
	Annual financial returns of primary care trusts 200001 to 200203.

Podiatry

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what audit has been made of the work of non-medically qualified consultant podiatric surgeons in the NHS.

John Hutton: No such audit has been undertaken or commissioned centrally.

Podiatry

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations have been made to his Department on the work of consultant podiatric surgeons in the NHS.

John Hutton: There was an exchange of correspondence about this in 200203 but nothing later.

Private Health Care (Lancashire)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many private health care patients have been treated at Lancashire teaching hospitals in each of the last five years.

Melanie Johnson: The table gives information for the Lancashire teaching hospitals national health service trust, which was formed in 2002 and its predecessor bodies.
	
		Finished consultant episodes : Private patients treated in selected NHS trusts in England 199899 to 200203
		
			  199899 19992000 200001 200102 200203 
		
		
			 Chorley and South Ribble NHS trust 18  15 19  
			 Preston acute hospitals NHS trust 1,962 1,625 1,628 226  
			 Lancashire teaching hospitals NHS trust 122 
		
	
	Notes:
	Finished Consultant Episode (FCE)
	An FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health care provider.
	Please note that the figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year.
	Ungrossed Data
	Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).
	19992000 figures
	A combined return for the two trusts was made in 19992000
	Source:
	Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Department of Health

Waiting Lists

Gwyn Prosser: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what changes there have been in the (a) number of people waiting for in-patient treatment and (b) time people have been waiting for in-patient treatment in Kent and Medway Strategic Health Authority area since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Patients waiting for elective in-patient admission: Position at quarter end: Kent and Medway Strategic Health Authority (commissioner based)
		
			   Patients waiting for admission by months waiting 
			 Quarter ending Total number of patients waiting for admission Less than 3 months 35 months 68 months 911 months 1214 months 1517 months 18+ months 
		
		
			 June 2002 39,985 16,499 11,190 7,354 3,842 1,100 0 0 
			 September 2002 39,252l 16,595 10,730 7,548 3,965 414 0 0 
			 December 2002 38,954 17,026 10,880 7,222 3,516 310 0 0 
			 March 2003 36,882 16,914 10,300 6,757 2,908 3 0 0 
			 June 2003 36,688 16,284 10,838 6,637 2,921 4 1 3 
			 September 2003 36,317 16,309 10,129 7,2101 2,660 1 4 4 
			 December 2003 36,389 17,223 10,434 6,573 2,153 0 0 6 
			 March 2004 33,589 18,377 10,501 4,710 0 1 0 0 
		
	
	Source:
	Department of Health form QF01

Waiting Lists

Gwyn Prosser: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what changes there have been in the (a) number of people waiting for outpatient appointments and (b) time people have been waiting for out-patient appointments in Kent and Medway Strategic Health Authority area since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is shown in the table. 
	
		Waiting times for first consultant out-patient appointment: Kent and Medway SHA (provider based)
		
			  Number of referral requests for first out-patient appointments 
			 Quarter GP written Other 
		
		
			 200203   
			 Q1 69,669 26,213 
			 Q2 71,334 28,075 
			 Q3 67,672 26,674 
			 Q4 70,008 28,459 
			
			 200304   
			 Q1 72,097 29,541 
			 Q2 73,416 30,112 
			 Q3 70,696 24,226 
			 Q4 75,531 37,110 
		
	
	
		
			  GP written referrals only 
			  Effective length of wait from receipt of GP written referral request to first out-patient attendance (weeks) 
			 Quarter 0 to 4 4 to  13 13 to 17 17 to 21 21 to 26 26 and over 
		
		
			 200203   
			 Q1 17,393 24,055 5,266 3,268 3,524 131 
			 Q2 18,368 23,169 5,890 4,687 3,723 35 
			 Q3 18,286 22,073 6,945 6,385 1,697 119 
			 Q4 20,481 23,603 8,041 6,482 1,452 520 
			
			 200304   
			 Q1 19,943 24,136 6,639 5,961 310 24 
			 Q2 20,141 23,668 7,464 7,125 89 11 
			 Q3 18,362 23,053 8,138 7,437 214 15 
			 Q4 18,297 23,731 11,119 3,940 111 2 
		
	
	
		
			  GP written referrals only 
			  Not yet seen at end of quarter who have been waiting (weeks) 
			 Quarter 13 to 17 17 to 21 21 to 26 26 and over 
		
		
			 200203 
			 Q1 4,617 2,547 858 0 
			 Q2 4,718 2,426 588 1 
			 Q3 4,562 1,652 577 88 
			 Q4 3,049 1,268 18 2 
			  
			 200304 
			 Q1 4,680 1,439 10 3 
			 Q2 5,714 2,129 4 6 
			 Q3 5,220 1,146 1 2 
			 Q4 1,995 0 0 0 
		
	
	Source:
	DH form QM08

Waiting Lists

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time to see a general practitioner in Chorley and South Ribble Primary Care Trust was in the last period for which figures are available.

Melanie Johnson: Information on the time patients wait to see a general practitioner is not collected centrally. However, information on the lead time for the first available appointment with each GP practice is collected. This shows that, at April 2004, all patients covered by the Chorley and South Ribble Primary Care Trust were able to be offered an appointment to see a general practitioner within two working days.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Atomic Energy

John Lyons: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the progress of talks with the United States on the 1958 agreement on co-operation on the uses of atomic energy for mutual defence purposes.

Denis MacShane: Discussions have been held with the US on the renewal of the 1958 Agreement on Co-operation on the Uses of Atomic Energy for Mutual Defence Purposes and the necessary amendments to the Agreement were signed on 14 June by empowered US and UK representatives.
	On 21 June these amendments were laid before Parliament with an Explanatory Memorandum in accordance with the normal procedure for amendments to such treaties. Copies of the Command Paper [Cm 6261] and Explanatory Memorandum were also sent to the House of Commons Defence Committee and were published on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website: www.fco.gov.uk.

Botswana

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Botswana regarding the rights and freedoms of the (a) Gana and (b) Gwi bushmen.

Denis MacShane: holding answer 29 June 2004
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had no recent discussions with the Government of Botswana about the Basarwa.
	However, I raised the subject of the Basarwa with President Mogae at CHOGM in December 2003. The British High Commission in Gaborone also discuss the issue regularly in their contacts with the Government of Botswana.

Cocaine

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what strategy the Government will use to eliminate the import of illegal cocaine in the UK.

Bill Rammell: The Government work very closely with countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to tackle the illegal importation of cocaine to the UK.
	We collaborate with their law enforcement agencies to disrupt the supply of cocaine. We have over 20 law enforcement officers stationed in the region. Last year 91 tonnes of cocaine were seized as a result of operations in which we were involved, of which we believe 19 tonnes were destined for the UK; and a number of leading cocaine traffickers were arrested with UK assistance, notably in Colombia and Jamaica.
	We also provide considerable help to governments in the region in building up their own counter-narcotics capacity. In the last two years, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Drugs and Crime Fund (DCF) has provided 7.8 million of law enforcement training and drug detection equipment.
	The Government's counter-narcotics activity overseas comes under the umbrella of our wider Concerted Inter-Agency Drugs Action (CIDA) strategy for combating illegal drugs.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the (a) scale and (b) value of natural resource smuggling from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo to neighbouring countries; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mullin: We remain deeply concerned that the profits from the vast natural wealth of the Democratic Republic of Congo should go to supporting its people. We have funded an independent NGO. Global Witness, to research an independent preliminary report on natural resource exploitation, which was published on 29 June. We are also funding further research into this sector.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has identified the principal beneficiaries of the illegal trade in natural resources from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mullin: The UN Panel of Experts on Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources identified a number of beneficiaries in its final report published on 28 October 2003. I refer the hon. Member to the statement I made on 17 December 2003, Official Report, columns 14042WS, on this subject.
	For a very long time the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo have not been the beneficiaries of the natural resources of their country. We are working with the new Government and international and regional partners to help develop effective management of the country's natural resources. We have supported schemes such as the Kimberly Process and Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative to help ensure that this takes place.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the safety of humanitarian workers in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mullin: We advise against all travel to eastern and north-eastern areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which remain insecure and dangerous. We remain deeply concerned by the situation in the DRC and will continue to work with international partners, including humanitarian agencies, to support the Transitional National Government and the Congolese peace process.

Eritrea

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Eritrea on the group of evangelical Christians imprisoned for their faith.

Chris Mullin: We often raise the issue of religious freedom with the Eritrean Government. I raised the matter with President Isaias in Asmara on 15 January. Our Charge d'Affaires in Asmara did so most recently on 18 May. The British Ambassador regularly raises cases of detention.

EU-Japan Discussions

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what matters in respect of (a) civil nuclear co-operation and (b) commercial nuclear trading were discussed in the EU-Japan bilateral meeting on 22 June.

Bill Rammell: Civil nuclear co-operation and commercial nuclear trading were not discussed at the EU-Japan Summit, although they are referred to in the Summit Statement which can be found at http://jpn.cec.eu.int/english/press-info/4-l-l-190.htm.

European Council Chairman

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what criteria were used to decide to support a full-time chairman for the European Council to replace the present six-monthly rotating presidency.

Denis MacShane: The Constitutional Treaty reforms the system of the six-monthly rotating Presidency by accepting the UK proposal to introduce a full time Chair or President of the European Council to provide greater continuity and coherence in a Union of 25 Member States. The President, who can serve for up to five years, will ensure that the agenda decided upon by Member States is delivered. The new position will strengthen the role of national governments in the EU. The President will be chosen by national governments and will be accountable to them.

India

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of his recent meeting with the new Foreign Minister for India.

Mike O'Brien: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Leicester, East (Keith Vaz) on 24 June 2004, Official Report, columns 152930W.

Reverend Damanik (Indonesia)

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 22 June 2004, Official Report, column 1332W, on Reverend Damanik (Indonesia), under what circumstances an individual is considered by his Department to be a prisoner of conscience.

Mike O'Brien: The Government do not themselves classify prisoners according to the reasons for their detention, nor do they formally adopt any position on the classifications made by others. The cases of persons designated prisoners of conscience by Amnesty International are frequently taken up by our embassies and high commissions overseas.

Sudan

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the International Crisis Group about the humanitarian situation in Darfur.

Chris Mullin: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary met the President of the International Crisis Group, Mr. Gareth Evans, to discuss Darfur on 23 June.

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will ask the Government of Sudan to commute the death sentences on (a) Musa Issa Dikho, (b) Adam Hariu Issa and (c) Ahmed Mohamed Abdel Gadir of Nayala, Sudan.

Chris Mullin: Yes. We have already raised these cases with the Government of Sudan and will continue to press for a positive reply.

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to discuss with the Sudanese authorities (a) abolition of the death penalty, (b) respect for fair trials and (c) guaranteed respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Chris Mullin: The promotion of human rights in Sudan, through advocacy with the Government and support for NGOs, remains one of our priorities. We raise our concerns, including on the issues raised, with the Sudanese Government on a regular basis, both bilaterally and as part of the EU-Sudan dialogue.

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will raise with the Sudanese Government the role of the National Security Agency in Al Fashir, Sudan on the recent arrests they have undertaken there.

Chris Mullin: We are in regular contact with the Government of Sudan on human rights issues and the situation in Darfur in particular. The British Embassy has raised the recent arrests in relation to the conflict in Darfur with both the National Advisory Council for Human Rights and the Chairman of the Human Rights Committee of the National Assembly.

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the encroachment of Janjaweed militias into Chad.

Chris Mullin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Moray (Angus Robertson) today (UIN 181087).

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the withdrawal of the Government of Chad from the role of mediator in the Darfur crisis.

Chris Mullin: We understand that the Chadian Government has threatened to reconsider its position as mediator in the Darfur conflict due to concern over the commitment of the Government of Sudan to prevent cross border incursions. However, we are not aware of any formal announcement by the Chadian Government of its intention to withdraw. We are calling on the parties to engage in political discussions to find a peaceful solution to the conflict.

Sudan

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to propose to the United Nations Security Council that members of the Government of Sudan should be subjected to targeted sanctions.

Chris Mullin: At present our priority is to work with all those involved to address the security and humanitarian situation on the ground, and to get the parties to find a peaceful solution to the conflict.

Sudan

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to propose to the United Nations Security Council the appointment of an investigator into alleged war crimes and atrocities in Darfur, Western Sudan.

Chris Mullin: We support the UN's 90-day action plan for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in Darfur which provides for the deployment of eight human rights monitors to Darfur. We are providing financial support to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) for this purpose.
	We also support the proposed appointment of an independent expert to provide formal international scrutiny of human rights in Sudan. We look forward to the appointment of this independent expert soon.
	The UN Security Council took note, in its Presidential statement of 25 May, of the OHCHR's recommendation for the establishment of an International Commission of Inquiry to investigate alleged human rights abuses in Darfur. The Security Council may wish to revisit this proposal in light of developments in Darfur, including the work of the National Commission of Inquiry set up by President Bashir.

Sudan

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of the statement released by Human Rights Watch on 22 June alleging cross-border attacks by the Janjaweed on local villagers and refugees in Chad; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with representatives of the Government of Chad on cross-border attacks from Sudan; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mullin: We are concerned by reports of incursions by the Janjaweed militias into Chad. We welcome President Bashir's announcement of 18 June of his intention to disarm all outlaws, Janjaweed and armed militias in Darfur. We have consistently urged the Sudanese Government to act quickly to rein in the Janjaweed and are encouraging them to translate this statement into action.
	Through our embassy in Khartoum we have discussed the situation in Darfur with the Government of Chad. Our priority is to stop the fighting, so we are supporting the deployment of the AU-led ceasefire monitoring mechanism.

Sudan

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with representatives of (a) the US Administration, (b) EU member states and (c) EU officials on the imposition of sanctions on Sudan; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mullin: None. Our priority is to work with all those involved to address the security and humanitarian situation on the ground, and to get the parties to find a peaceful solution to the conflict.

Sudan

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether satellite imagery is being used to track and monitor militias within Sudan.

Chris Mullin: We understand that the US Agency for International Development is using satellite imagery to monitor the situation in Darfur. Satellite pictures of the area are available on their website (www.usaid.gov).

Sudan

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in disbanding and disarming the Janjaweed.

Chris Mullin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud (Mr. Drew) on 29 June 2004 (UIN 180730).

Sudan

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had within the United Nations about targeting companies associated with the Government of Sudan by means of travel restrictions and asset freezes.

Chris Mullin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Moray (Angus Robertson) today (UIN 181088).

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has held with the Government of Sudan on the subject of land reform, with specific reference to the proposals being advanced by the SLMIA in Darfur.

Chris Mullin: We are not aware of any Sudanese Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) proposals on land reform. The Chairman of the SLM/A, Mr. Abdel Wahid el Nur, did not raise land reform when he met the UK Special Representative for Sudan on 24 June.

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to encourage (a) the UN, (b) the African Union and (c) the international community to seek to bring to justice those responsible for recent atrocities in Darfur.

Chris Mullin: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Blaby (Mr. Robathan) today (UIN 180835). We and our EU partners have made clear that reported attacks against civilians should be thoroughly investigated and the perpetrators brought to justice.

DEFENCE

Arctic Convoys (Survivors)

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Servicemen who served on the Arctic convoys are still alive.

Ivor Caplin: There is no way of telling how many armed forces personnel who served on the convoys to Russia during the Second World War are still alive.

Army (Terms of Service)

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers who are on the S type contract have submitted a redress of complaint about their terms of service; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: holding answer 21 June 2004
	This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Databases

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the fields of the (a) MOD Directorate of Commercial Policy Contracts database and (b) MOD Central Ledger database.

Adam Ingram: The following information assumes that the first database referred to is that maintained by the Defence Bills Agency on behalf of the Commercial Services Group in the Defence Procurement Agency (DPA). The fields in the database are as follows:
	1. Contract Number, Contract Date, Contract End Date, Integrated Project and Commercial Officer titles;
	2. Contractor's Name and Registration details;
	3. Contract Financial details;
	4. Security Classification of contract;
	5. Type of Work;
	6. Standard Industry Classification Code;
	7. Particular type of contract;
	8. Location of work;
	9. Sub-contract work;
	10. Overseas sub-contract work;
	11. End customer;
	12. Contract conditions;
	13. Loan items;
	14. Competitive or Non-competitive;
	15. Status of pricing;
	16. Non-competitive pricing;
	17. Recoverable (costs recoverable from a third party);
	18. Commercial Exploitation Agreement;
	19. Imports;
	20. Special Contracts Arrangement;
	21. European Commission (EC) Requirements;
	22. Construction Industry Tax Scheme.
	The following information assumes that the database referred to is the DPA General (Financial) ledger. The fields being utilised in the ledger are as follows:
	1. BLB (Bottom Level Budget)
	2. DESTUIN (Destination Unique Identification Number)
	3. Local Centre
	4. Local Output
	5. Local Project
	6. MG (Management Grouping)
	7. Output
	8. RAC (Resource Account Code)
	9. UIN (Unique Identification Number)

Defence Attachs

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the proportion of defence attachs' time spent (a) promoting and (b) monitoring the end-use of UK arms exports in each of the last three years.

Adam Ingram: Defence attachs devote about 10 per cent. of their time annually to supporting legitimate defence exports and defence procurement collaboration activities in accordance with current Government policy on arms exports. We do not record the proportion of time spent specifically on monitoring the end-use of United Kingdom arms exports.

Defence Export and Market Access Forum

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 10 June 2004, Official Report, columns 59899W, what the membership is of the Defence Export and Market Access Forum; and what the criteria are for membership of that body.

Adam Ingram: Membership of the Defence Export and Market Access Forum comprises senior officials from Government Departments including the Ministry of Defence, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department of Trade and Industry and Cabinet Office together with senior representatives from the United Kingdom Trade Associations and the UK defence industry. The membership reflects consultation between Government and industry to identify those best placed to contribute to the aims of the forum.

Eurofighter Typhoons

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the reasons are for the delay in going ahead with the second tranche of Eurofighter Typhoons; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 12 February 2004, Official Report, column 1634W, and my answer of 10 December 2003, Official Report, column 464W, to the hon. Member for Totnes (Mr. Steen). The negotiations are still on-going and must be concluded before Tranche 2 can be ordered.

Export Support Teams

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost of the Export Support teams was in each of the last three years; and what the forecast cost is for each of the next two years.

Adam Ingram: The operating costs of the Export Support Teams recorded for the last three years are as follows:
	
		
			 Financial year Net operating costs ( million) 
		
		
			 20012002 (16)1.177 
			 20022003 1.888 
			 20032004 2.135 
		
	
	(16)Costs for 200102 were not recorded on a basis fully comparable with the following years for technical reasons
	Provision of 2.105 million has been made for manpower costs in 200405. I am withholding projections of costs for financial year 200506 under Exemption 2c of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

GEC-BAE Merger

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what advice the department received from the Office of Fair Trading on the GEC-BAE merger in 1999;
	(2)  what advice the Secretary of State received from (a) his officials and (b) other Departments on the Office of Fair Trading report on the GEC-BAE merger;
	(3)  whom (a) within the Department and (b) outside the Department the Secretary of State, his representatives and advisers consulted on the Office of Fair Trading report regarding the merger of BAE-GEC;
	(4)  if he will list officials within his Department who were consulted on the Office of Fair Trading report regarding the merger of BAE-GEC in 1999;
	(5)  if he will list the meetings that took place between Mr. Ed Miliband and his officials in 1999 to discuss (a) the GEC-BAE merger and (b) Govan shipyard;
	(6)  what briefings the Secretary of State (a) gave and (b) received in 1999 on the GEC interest in the Govan shipyard;
	(7)  on what date the Secretary of State received the minutes of the meeting between Mr. George Simpson of GEC and the Prime Minister to discuss the merger of BAE and GEC in1999;
	(8)  if he will list the dates on which he met Mr. George Simpson of GEC in 1999; if he will publish the minutes of the meetings; and if he will list the attendees at those meetings.[R];
	(9)  if he will list the communications between himself, his representatives and advisers and GEC in 1999 over (a) the proposed merger of BAE-GEC and (b) Govan shipyard.[R];
	(10)  if he will list the communications between himself, his representatives and advisers and Kvaerner, their representatives and advisers over the proposed closure of the Govan shipyard in 1999.[R];
	(11)  if he will list dates of meetings between departmental officials and Mr. Martin Sixsmith of GEC in 1999.[R];
	(12)  if he will list the briefings given by his Department in 1999 on the GEC interest in the Govan shipyard.[R];
	(13)  if he will list the meetings his Department had with the taskforce chaired by Sir Gavin Laird set up by the Government to look for potential buyers for the Govan shipyard in 1999.[R];
	(14)  if he will list the meetings held with Sir Gavin Laird to discuss the future of the Govan shipyard in 1999.[R];
	(15)  if he will list the meetings held with the management of Govan/Kvaerner to discuss the future of the Govan shipyard in 1999.[R]:
	(16)  what role he played in the negotiations over the future of Govan shipyard in 1999.[R];
	(17)  what role he played in the informal and oral approaches made to GEC over the purchase of Govan in 1999.[R];
	(18)  what role his Department played in approving the GEC-BAE merger in 1999.[R]

Geoff Hoon: My officials and I and my predecessors in office have meetings and discussions with a wide range of organisations and individuals. As with previous Administrations it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings under Exemptions 2 and 7 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
	Information relating to internal discussion and advice is exempt from disclosure under Exemption 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
	The decision on approving the GEC-BAE merger in 1999 was made by the then Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tyneside, North (Mr. Byers) in the capacity set out in the Fair Trading Act 1973.

Gibraltar

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what criteria are used to decide whether Royal Navy ships use (a) a Spanish port and (b) Gibraltar.

Adam Ingram: The programming of Royal Navy ships (and Royal Fleet Auxiliary or Ministry of Defence owned/chartered vessels) to Gibraltar or to Spanish ports is dependent on a number of criteria including any specific requirements of the ship, available port facilities, logistical requirements, maintenance requirements or the need of the ship's company to undertake a period of rest and recuperation. The goodwill generated from visiting foreign ports makes a significant contribution to defence diplomacy, the continuing development of bilateral relations and support to UK Industry. A balanced approach is, therefore, taken to ensure that Gibraltar and other ports in the region, including Spanish ports, are visited on a regular basis. In addition, Royal Navy ships en route to or returning from deployments east of Suez and Atlantic Patrol Tasks are routinely programmed to visit Gibraltar.

Gibraltar

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what action can be taken against Spain over its refusal to allow Royal Air Force aeroplanes to fly to Gibraltar;
	(2)  if he will discuss with the new Spanish government the reservation inserted in the NATO Standardisation Agreement 1100 by the previous Spanish Government on naval ships and Gibraltar.

Adam Ingram: The Government are committed to developing an effective relationship with the new Spanish Government on all defence matters, including those relating to Gibraltar.

Gibraltar

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the estimated cost was of flying around Spain to reach Gibraltar by the Royal Air Force in 200304.

Adam Ingram: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Honours

Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much time his Department spent dealing with honours in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by Civil Service grade.

Ivor Caplin: The majority of the work on honours to civilian personnel is undertaken by the Departmental Honours Team. No record is taken of the time each person or group is involved with this work. As no records are held centrally, the information requested is not available on time spent on honours related work, by military or civilian personnel who are not members of the Department's Civilian Honours Team.

Media Coverage (Iraq War)

Bob Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on discussions with media organisations on coverage of non-embedded reporting during the Iraq war.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence's procedures for dealing with non-embedded (or non-accredited) journalists reporting from conflict areas is contained in the Green BookWorking Arrangements with the Media in times of Emergency, Tension, Conflict or War.
	Following our initial assessment of the lessons to be learned from the operation in Iraq, we are reviewing and updating the Green Book. The aim of this review is to ensure that the arrangements set out in the publication remain relevant, both to evolving media practice and the conduct of military operations. As part of this review, Ministry of Defence officials have had discussions with various media organisations, both national and international. We aim to publish the revised Green Book in the summer.

Military Vehicles

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list by vehicle type the number of military vehicles that have (a) been written off, (b) been withdrawn from use pending repair and (c) sustained minor damage in each of the past five years.

Ivor Caplin: Information on damage to vehicles, other than that caused through involvement in road traffic accidents, is not held centrally and could be collected only at disproportionate cost.
	The number of military vehicles damaged in five years by whether or not they are beyond road traffic accidents in the last economic repair is as follows:
	
		
			  19992000 200001 200102 
			 Vehicle type Beyond economic repair Minor Beyond economic repair Minor Beyond economic repair Minor 
		
		
			 All vehicles 297 9,133 254 8,460 274 8,446 
			 Motorcycle 5 47 9 50 5 29 
			 Car Saloons 171 2,524 134 2,445 146 2,544 
			 Mini Buses 24 995 31 980 30 979 
			 Motor Coaches 1 260 3 235 2 272 
			 Vans 16 753 16 720 21 753 
			 Ambulances  66  72 1 78 
			 Truck Utility 47 1,998 34 1,751 34 1,600 
			 Truck Utility Heavy Duty 4 48 2 56 1 57 
			 Truck Utility Heavy  33  33  22 
			 4 tonne 12 803 9 639 11 656 
			 8 tonne 6 210 4 144 4 105 
			 14 tonne 1 74  53 2 30 
			 Other Cargo Vehicles 1 221 1 258 3 317 
			 Medium Ability Load Carrier 2 269 2 239 3 214 
			 Improved Medium Ability Load  Carrier  34  35  29 
			 Fuel Vehicle  63 2 52 3 52 
			 Recovery Vehicle  42 1 41  43 
			 Articulated Vehicle 1 157  158 4 185 
			 Tank Transporter  35 2 17  31 
			 BV206 1 17  16  7 
			 Fire Fighting Vehicle  27  37  32 
			 Tracked A Vehicle  125 1 122  102 
			 Wheeled A vehicle  49  45  45 
			 Plant Vehicles 1 122  147 2 135 
			 Misc Engr and Trials 1 47  23  18 
			 Special Vehicle 3 114 3 92 2 111 
		
	
	
		
			  200203 200304 
			 Vehicle type Beyond economic repair Minor Beyond economic repair Minor 
		
		
			 All vehicles 307 8,759 198 7,981 
			 Motorcycle 4 43 2 15 
			 Car Saloons 187 2,743 104 2,756 
			 Mini Buses 21 965 12 789 
			 Motor Coaches  303  244 
			 Vans 19 732 23 672 
			 Ambulances  75  73 
			 Truck Utility 46 1,539 31 1,368 
			 Truck Utility Heavy Duty 1 73 1 32 
			 Truck Utility Heavy  27  18 
			 4 tonne 12 606 5 545 
			 8 tonne 4 97 1 95 
			 14 tonne 1 43  33 
			 Other Cargo Vehicles 3 421 5 505 
			 Medium Ability Load Carrier 2 257 3 148 
			 Improved Medium Ability Load Carrier  24  21 
			 Fuel Vehicle 1 55 1 54 
			 Recovery Vehicle  30 1 30 
			 Articulated Vehicle 2 196 6 142 
			 Tank Transporter 1 18  13 
			 BV206  6 1 11 
			 Fire Fighting Vehicle  114  41 
			 Tracked A Vehicle  75  76 
			 Wheeled A vehicle  46  59 
			 Plant Vehicles 1 161 2 115 
			 Misc Engr and Trials 1 19  22 
			 Special Vehicle 1 91  104 
		
	
	Note:
	Information for 200304 relates to accidents reported by 1 June 2004.
	Source:
	Directorate Supply Chain (integration) (Transport).

Radhi Nu'ma

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the death of Radhi Nu'ma in Iraq.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 15 June 2004
	Mr. Radhi Nama (also known as Nu'ma) suffered a heart attack while in detention on 8 May 2003. A Special Investigations Branch investigation concluded that no crime could be established.

RAF Innsworth

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on future plans for RAF Innsworth.

Adam Ingram: The use of RAF Innsworth is kept under review, along with all defence estates. However, there are no current plans to cease defence activity on the site.

BAE Systems

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many claims for payment by BAE Systems under the Al-Yamamah programme relating (a) to support, including accommodation and travel, for overseas visitors from Saudi Arabia and (b) to support, including visa-related services, for BAE staff travelling to Saudi Arabia have been endorsed since 1 January 1997 by staff of the Saudi Armed Forces Project Office; and what the value of each set of such claims has been in each year since 1 January 1997.

Geoff Hoon: Since 1 January 1997, 67 BAE Systems' claims have been endorsed by members of the Saudi Armed Forces Project Office (DGSAP) that included accommodation and/or travel costs for Saudi civilian and Service personnel on duty in the United Kingdom. BAE Systems does not submit claims for the costs of staff travel to Saudi Arabia for DGSAP endorsement.
	Details of the claims endorsed by DGSAP are confidential between the two Governments, and I am therefore withholding that information under Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Scottish Infantry Regiments

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recruitment targets were established for each of the six Scottish infantry regiments for each month since January 2003; what the level of recruitment was in each case; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: The number of other rank enlistments for each of the six Scottish Infantry Regiments for each month since January 2003 are detailed in the following tables. The marked increase during the months of August-September and December- January are due to the fact that during these months there are additional Junior Entry Courses running, allowing a greater number of recruits to be enlisted. No monthly recruitment targets are set, therefore, the annual Financial Year targets are included in the tables. However, no target was set for individual Infantry Regiments in Financial Year 200203.
	
		Table 1: Financial year 200203
		
			  Highlanders Black Watch Argyll and Southern Highlanders Royal Scots Royal Highland Fusiliers Kings Own Scottish Borderers 
		
		
			 Annual target None None None None None None 
			 January 6 12 5 6 5 5 
			 February 8 7 9 11 12 4 
			 March 4 3 1 2 7 2 
			 Total 18 22 15 19 24 11 
		
	
	
		Table 2: Financial year 200304
		
			  Highlanders Black Watch Argyll and Southern Highlanders Royal Scots Royal Highland Fusiliers Kings Own Scottish Borderers 
		
		
			 Annual target 120 112 103 113 113 100 
			 April 9 11 4 4 10 4 
			 May 4 5 3 5 6 3 
			 June 9 4 7 2 12 8 
			 July 3 8 5 1 3 0 
			 August 35 29 19 10 20 34 
			 September 13 10 6 10 8 9 
			 October 2 6 6 4 8 6 
			 November 6 7 5 9 2 4 
			 December 5 8 4 3 2 17 
			 January 17 21 14 8 20 16 
			 February 10 10 5 4 7 7 
			 March 1 3 4 3 9 3 
			 Total 114 122 82 63 107 111 
		
	
	
		Table 3: Financial year 200405
		
			  Highlanders Black Watch Argyll and Southern Highlanders Royal Scots Royal Highland Fusiliers Kings Own Scottish Borderers 
		
		
			 Annual target 101 95 92 102 95 94 
			 April 4 7 4 8 5 8 
			 May 2 4 2 4 3 2 
			 Total to date 6 11 6 12 8 10 
		
	
	Officers are not recruited in the same way. Selection by Regiment is made during Initial Training at Sandhurst and comparable information is therefore not available. The numbers commissioned into each of the Scottish Regiments in 2003 and 2004 to date is as follows:
	
		
			  2003 2004 (To date) 
		
		
			 Highlanders 4 2 
			 Black Watch 7 1 
			 Argyll and Southern Highlanders 6 1 
			 Royal Scots 7 2 
			 Royal Highland Fusiliers 4 1 
			 Kings Own Scottish Borderers 4 1

Seyntex

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the supply of cloth for tentage awarded to Seyntex in 2001; and what specifications on quality were included in the invitation to tender.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 29 June 2004
	Seyntex NV is responsible for the supply of cloth used in the tents supplied to the Department under the terms of a contract placed in 2001. The Invitation to Tender included the detailed specification required for both fabric and manufacture and also specified the Quality Assurance conditions to be applied.
	A copy of these will be placed in the Library of the House.

Trident

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 16 June 2004, Official Report, column 939W on Trident replacement, if he will list the design studies which have been undertaken to date; how much each has cost; what the (a) start date and (b) expected end date of each study is; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: As stated in my previous answer, decisions on whether to replace Trident are likely to be needed in the next Parliament. We have also made clear that appropriate steps to keep options open will continue to be taken, and that we routinely undertake studies into the optimum operational life of key defence capabilities, including the Trident system. These included concept studies on options for platforms to carry the Trident missile in the longer term, which began in May 2002 and finished in May 2003, and involved extra-mural costs of around 560,000.

UN Operations

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many applications to exhume the bodies of Iraqis allegedly killed as a result of Coalition action have been made by British military officials; and what has been the result in each case.

Adam Ingram: Six requests to exhume the bodies of Iraqis allegedly killed by UK armed forces have been made. In three of these cases the family's permission was withheld.

UN Operations

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many private companies are involved in the running of United Kingdom prisons in Iraq; and what the role of each is.

Adam Ingram: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 28 June 2004, Official Report, columns 14546W, to the hon. Member for Hereford (Mr. Keetch), the hon. Member for Hampstead and Highgate (Glenda Jackson) and the hon. Member for Portsmouth South (Mr. Hancock).

UN Operations

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when in September 2003 the practice of hooding detainees in Iraq was stopped.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 20 May 2004
	An amended Standard Operating Instruction was issued on 30 September 2003 detailing that the use of hoods on apprehended persons was to cease. This had been preceded by a verbal instruction several days earlier.

WORK AND PENSIONS

New Deal for Lone Parents

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have been through the New Deal for Lone Parents more than once (a) in total and (b) broken down by parliamentary constituency.

Jane Kennedy: Through the New Deal we have introduced a wide range of initiatives to help lone parents improve their employment prospects by giving them the skills, support and confidence they need to move into work. Since its introduction in October 1998, over 485,000 lone parents have participated in the New Deal for Lone Parents and over 260,000 lone parents have been helped into work.
	The New Deal is a long-term investment to make a real difference to lone parents and their children. New Deal for Lone Parents more than doubles lone parents' chances of moving off income support. Those who do return to benefits after finding a job through New Deal have still added to their skills, confidence and experience, making it easier for them to find a job in the future.
	The information has been placed in the Library.